Silver And Gold
by Kiki Ling
Summary: The threat of war is upon them, Lacus Clyne has been kidnapped...but all Shinn Asuka can think about is his old superior...Athrun x Shinn. Yaoi.
1. Behind The Peace

Oh I shouldn't be doing this. If there's one thing in this world I shouldn't be doing, it's writing a new story, dammit! I already have another EIGHT on the go, just adding one more is asking for trouble! ...Never mind. Here I am.

So, the basis behind this story. For one thing I love the Athrun x Shinn pairing and there just aren't enough, so I thought I'd give it a go. And then I was thinking the other day, while I was supposed to be thinking about something else, about the similarities between Athrun and Shinn, and how Athrun was the more mature and calmer version of Shinn. Hence, Athrun is the gold to Shinn's silver. Get it? That's me being clever with words - a rare event I can tell you.

Never mind. On to the story.

Category: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny (GSD) - I'm not going to write the whole frigging title every time.

Rating: T.

Pairings: Athrun x Shinn. Kira x Lacus. Possibly more...

Genre: Drama/Romance.

Summary: The threat of war is upon them, Lacus Clyne has been kidnapped...and yet the only thing Shinn Asuka can think about is his old superior.

WARNINGS: Foul language. Violence of a war nature - or at least, the attempts there of. Yaoi (nothing too graphic). Possible grammar errors.

Disclaimer: I do not own GSD, nor any of its characters.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Silver And Gold <strong>

**Chapter One: Behind The Peace**

There were many reasons why Athrun Zala was not enjoying himself at this particular meeting, one was because the primary speaker sounded something akin to a dog on heat with a rod stuck up its backside – unpleasant to say the least, but the prime reason for his lack of interest, in the affairs leading after the two great wars none of them would forget, was that…for the past hour…the old man beside him had been…well…farting.

Silent deadly farts that would kill you in an instant.

Who needed nuclear weapons when they had this man on their side.

It wasn't that Athrun hadn't come across flatulence before, it was just he didn't think he'd ever met a man who could let rip a fart more deadly than Genesis itself. It was distracting to say the least and the topic of the day, peace for all nations and a complete end to all wars between Coordinators and Naturals, seemed to take a back bench in Athrun's mind as, for the fourth time in the last ten minutes, the fragrance rivalling the potency of a pigsty filled his nose. Sighing inwardly he picked up his mug of coffee and let the wafts of caffeine drift over him; if his neighbour beside him kept this up Athrun was going to find himself needing the smell of coffee more than he needed oxygen.

"And so we move on to topic 3.A" said the announcer cutting through Athrun's befogged brain "Peace Treaty Negotiations Point number 235, passage rights for Coordinators in to lands belonging to the Earth Alliance"

There was the flurry of paper as everyone readjusted their notes to compile their speeches on this particular topic; Athrun looked down at his own sheets, being the lead spokesman for ORB, a place that allowed both Coordinators and Naturals in with the proviso that no weapons were used on their land, he didn't actually have that much to add to this discussion, Cagalli had made it quite clear over and over in every speech she made that the old ideals of ORB were the ones she was sticking by with her very life. All that was required of Athrun during this debate was to recite her very words…

…That was hoping of course that the companion to his left didn't decide to let loose another of his killer whoppers.

If that happened Athrun was convinced he'd fall over.

On his other side Kira sat calmly, listening to every given word with intensity, apparently oblivious to the torture Athrun was under; in front of him were notes he'd carefully written out the evening before with the help of Lacus who sat quietly on his other side waiting for her opportunity to speak.

"No-no! The Earth Alliance cannot simply just allow ANY random Coordinator in to their lands, there has to be papers! Documents proving existence and the right filed claims that the Earth Alliance can then pass judgement over!"

"A process which will take the grand total of three months by which time the little old lady who wanted to see her grandson one last time has died of a heart-attack and rots in a box somewhere, sure, that's a great idea!"

"We cannot allow strangers behind our borders! We could be attacked and serve us right for being so stupid!"

"But we're at PEACE now, remember! Last time I checked, most Coordinators do not randomly attack people"

"May I remind you of Junius Seven perhaps"

"Tha-That was a attack made by a few terrorists who were angered and crazy, they believed in Patrick Zala's crackpot ideas and acted out on their own! This has nothing to do with that!"

"It has everything to do with that! _That's_ what I'm talking about!"

"They were a few people out of thousands and thousands! We as a population do not believe in what Patrick Zala decreed, that's why one of his MEN shot him down!"

"And how can you prove that the rest of your population is not like that, are really telling me that all of Patrick Zala's followers are dead now!"

"We cannot officially prove that and you know it, you're being out of line!"

"Of course you would say that, wouldn't you! YOU'RE a Coordinator after all!"

"And do you have a problem with that! What are you? Blue Cosmos!"

"How DARE y-"

"Gentleman, please" Lacus rose from her chair swiftly and held up her hand "lets not accuse each other of being dark things that are our past, these meetings are to look to the future, not remind us of our sad wars" there was a pause in which the new Chairman…woman…gave her nod of approval and a reprimanding look to her subordinate who had good enough grace to back down "now then, lets please return to the topic at hand and discuss the rights of way we each have in to each other's lands-"

It was then that a sigh filled the room, a long bored sigh that floated across to them from behind Athrun and Kira both of whom straightened in their chairs somewhat consciously.

To Athrun's left, the old man turned in his seat to glare at the perpetrator who didn't even have the decency to look ashamed "are we boring you, young man?"

Athrun and Kira shared a glance.

"It's your turn" Athrun muttered.

Kira blinked "I did it last time, didn't I?"

"He's _your_ subordinate"

"But he responds so much better to you"

Wondering how Kira could have possibly worked that one out, Athrun gave in and stood up from his seat; absently he saluted "please excuse me" giving a small bow to Lacus, whose face was carrying a look of gentle amusement, Athrun slid from the table and pointed out the door.

Rolling his eyes to the heavens Shinn turned on his heel and marched out the room; on the other side of the doorway, Lunamaria stood smiling a little meekly as all eyes came to rest on her, clearing her throat she looked to Kira for aid and was much relieved when Kira gave her a smile and motioned Lacus to continue.

Outside, Athrun joined Shinn in the hallway and calmly shut the doors behind them so they could not be overheard; then, with a expectant glare on his features, he turned to the younger Coordinator with his arms folded.

"Is there something you'd like to say, Shinn?"

"Yeah" said Shinn obstinately "why are you here? Captain Yamato's my superior now"

"Apparently…" replied Athrun testily "it's my turn to deal with you"

"Why? I haven't done anything wrong"

"Shinn! You've distracted the Council meeting _twice_!"

"It's been going on for HOURS!"

"That is not the point, you were told to attend the meetings and you're supposed to finish your duties without grievance. Do you think you could possibly achieve this _without_ complaint – just this once"

"Oh come oh, all I'm doing is standing by door making things look pretty, I've never done anything so pointless!"

"It's not pointless, you're there to guard the meeting"

"So we're keeping them imprisoned in there until they agree to all our terms, are we? Well, that's a brilliant start to world peace!"  
>"That's enough sarcasm" Athrun told him sharply "you were told to do a job by your superior and you will do that job without question"<p>

"I never did that for you, why should I start now?"

Athrun opened his mouth to give him further reprimand, but closed it again with a sigh "don't you have any respect for your superiors?" he asked with exasperation "me, I can understand. We don't get on and I accepted that a long time ago, but surely you can obey _Kira_…can't you?"

"I'm in there aren't I?" Shinn retorted "or at least I was until you dragged me out. I obey my orders, I haven't refused Captain Yamato _once_!"

"Obeying his orders and obeying them without question are two different things, you seem incapable of achieving the latter" Athrun gave Shinn a hard stare "why are you so determined to disobey orders?"

"I'm not!"

"Well that's what it looks like to the rest of us! Have you even given Kira a chance?"

"How did we get on to this?" asked Shinn in protest "I thought you came out here to have a go at me about sighing"

"I did, but this is the second time you've disturbed the Council and I want to know why!"

"I told you, I'm bored!"

"Lunamaria's probably bored too, but she seems able to keep that to herself" Athrun glared "you are not high enough in the ranks to decide which orders you find interesting and which ones you don't"

"Maybe I should be" Shinn snorted with derision "geez, I could do a better job than half the jerks in that room"

Athrun gave a gasp of surprise "really? Why didn't you say so?" he held a hand out to the door "if that's the case then you can take my seat"

Shinn looked somewhat alarmed "what?"

"Clearly I'm one of the half that doesn't know what I'm doing, so why don't I just stop wasting everyone's time and get out of there, that way you can take my seat and tell everyone what they need to do in order to achieve world peace"

Shinn snarled, "you're doing that thing again! I hate it when you do that!"

"Only because you're acting like a child" Athrun snapped back "these meetings might not seem important to you but if this world is going to get along then they need to happen, a balance needs to be found so everyone can agree, they might find that a little easier to do if the brat in the background keeps his mouth shut!"

"I'm not a brat!"

"Is that so? You're making a good impression of one" Athrun gave him a cold look "you know, part of me is disappointed, I would have thought you of all people would have seen the importance of what's going on in that room. Don't you want peace?"

Shinn let out a growl and for a moment Athrun actually thought he was going to get a punch in the face, but Shinn seemed contented enough to yell at him instead "of course I want peace!" he shouted throwing his hand to the door with accusation "but that's not peace in there, it's just a bunch of stupid morons bickering! If you ask me, they're the ones that don't want peace!"

Athrun glanced at the door and hissed, "keep your voice down! Any more comments like that could be seen as treason. Of course they want peace, that's why they're here at all"

"So why don't they stop arguing and get on with it then!"

"Because it takes time, these people have been at war with each other for years, it'll take time for them to regard each other as allies"

"Ha!" Shinn let out a harsh meaningless laugh "and you call me a brat"

Once again Athrun was about to release his next cutting comment, but he stopped himself just in time; this was getting them nowhere, and he was supposed to be the superior officer, he was hardly being mature about this. He paused and bit back his next remark; glancing at the guards who stood either side of the door and halfway down the corridor, he released a sigh and let his temper cool "look, this is just going round in circles" he responded, hoping his lack of attack would calm Shinn's temper "I think you'd better just go and cool off"

Shinn looked for a moment as if he was going to reply with another insult, but even through his red fog he could see that sparking the fight again when Athrun was backing down really was childish, and he hated to be called childish…especially by Athrun Zala. He huffed and folded his arms sulkily "what are you going to do?" he demanded not giving Athrun the satisfaction of looking at him.

"Nothing, I'm no longer your superior or a part of the Zaft army, I have no authorisation to give punishment, that's Kira's job now" lucky old Kira, Athrun mused quietly, he nodded over to a door part way down the large spacey corridor "look, that room should be empty at the moment. Why don't you stay in there for a while, I don't think it's a good idea for you to return to the meeting itself. When it's all over I'll tell Kira where to find you"

There was a silence between them, uncomfortable but Shinn seemed unwillingly to turn away; he stood there stubbornly, arms still folded crossly, not looking at Athrun but glaring hard at the wall as if it offended him in some way. The older Coordinator looked at him for a moment, and then sighed again; it hadn't been easy for Shinn, he knew that. An unsteady peace may have started, but a lot of people had paid a heavy price, most with their lives; Shinn was one of the lucky ones, though, with the loss of his best friend and the girl he'd grown attached to so strongly, it didn't seem that way.

Peace may have been what Shinn wanted, but he'd lost seemingly everything and he was hurting on the inside. For that simple reason Athrun just didn't have it in him to stay mad – that had always been the problem between them; they were so similar, had suffered the same in many respects and sometimes Athrun just couldn't decide if he was a version of Shinn, or if Shinn was a version of him.

"Go on" Athrun prompted in a softer voice, feeling calmer "just go and relax for a while"

Shinn looked at him quickly, taking his gaze from the wall, and wondered if Athrun was going to say more; dread filled him, the last thing he wanted to hear from Athrun Zala was understanding sympathy, the idea made him cringe. But Athrun said nothing, whether it was because of the look on Shinn's face, or the fact that he simply knew not to say anymore, was unclear. He just stood there quietly, face impassive, waiting for Shinn to make the next move.

Shinn snorted, as if he didn't give a damn, then turned on his heel "whatever"

* * *

><p>Back in the meeting Kira looked up when Athrun rejoined him; his friend smiled at him and slide back in to his chair "it's done"<p>

"I hope you weren't too hard on him" Kira whispered under the voice of the spokesman who was announcing that a break should be taken.

"Sometimes you just have to be hard on him" Athrun replied "I learned that the difficult way" around them the different members began to rise from their seats, grouping together in smaller parties to discuss the latest developments "what have I missed?"

"Not that much, they're deciding the regular papers to be used when travelling" Kira leaned back in his chair with a soft tired sigh "it's slow work, but I think we're making progress"

"At least they're not pointing guns at each other" Athrun answered his mind still half on Shinn "that's got to be a step in the right direction"

"That's true" Kira looked sideways at his dark haired companion who seemed to be drifting off in to his own world "have you spoken to Cagalli today?"

"Hmm? Yes, this morning before I came here. She's giving a public speech this evening if you want to watch it"

"Sure, what's it about?"

"Something to do with helping those who suffered during the war, it's the usual compulsory announcement that goes with the help but the sentiment behind it is sincere" Athrun looked absently down at his papers vaguely aware that the dreadful smell about him had faded away now that its source had gone off to debate with others.

"Athrun?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you alright?"

"What?" Athrun looked up with a start "yes, of course. What makes you think otherwise?"

"Nothing much" Kira answered still resting back in his chair and looking up at the ceiling that lifted far above their heads "you were just out there a long time, that's all, I was starting to think something was wrong"

"No more than usual when it comes to Shinn" now it was Athrun's turn to look at Kira "I've been meaning to ask, how are you two getting along?"

"Alright, I suppose"

"Is that the truth?"

Kira looked back at him in surprise "I'm not in a habit of lying to you"

"That's not what I mean" Athrun elaborated, "I just know from experience that Shinn can be…difficult to handle"

"We don't fight if that's what you mean" again Kira looked back up at the ceiling thoughtfully "and he never complains when I ask him to do something…"

"But?"

"…I don't know, on the surface everything is fine, but…" releasing a soft sigh and rubbing the back of his neck Kira shrugged "maybe I'm just being too sensitive, I just feel sometimes that inside his head there's a block, something that's stopping him from…connecting with me properly…"

The memory of a girl with bouncing blonde hair floated in to Athrun's memory like a silken cover "I could probably take a guess as to what that was" he said without emotion in his voice.

"The girl that used that Destroyer, right?"

"You know about her?"

Kira nodded slowly "Lunamaria was kind enough to fill me in" he answered "…but if it was just that, I'd be alright, I feel bad that I killed someone who obviously meant something to him but I never met her and she was planning to attack again, to stop innocent people dying I had to destroy that machine, there was no other way of looking at it"

"If you're alright with that then what's the problem?"

"I don't know…I suppose it's just I catch his expression sometimes when he's thinking about her or his family and I swear it's like looking in to your face…" now Kira trailed for a moment and looked away "…you and Shinn have the same expression on your face when you're thinking about the people you've lost, like when you're thinking about that friend of yours, Nicol, and I have a problem with that because it implies that everything is not alright between us…and I'm not alright with that"

Athrun looked at him in surprise "I don't understand"

"I'm the one that killed your friend, Athrun. I can handle it if Shinn secretly hates me for killing his friend, but if you secretly hated me…I'm not sure what I'd do"

Athrun blinked at him slowly and then shook his head "you're hopeless, how long have you been harbouring that silly idea?"

"Is it silly though?" Kira's large violet eyes tried to see through Athrun, they almost succeeded "you and Shinn both get that same look on your face when you're thinking about the friends you've lost, the friends I killed. Is it so silly of me to think that feeling might be…resentment?"

"…I see your point…" Athrun hesitated, wondering how long it was he could hold on to the deep dark truth, he'd managed this long, right? Surely he could talk his way out of this "don't you think…its just sadness?"

Kira thought about this, not letting Athrun break their gaze; he knew if he did that he'd lose whatever it was he was about to gain, something was wrong with the way Athrun looked when he was thinking about Nicol and he didn't realise Kira was watching. It wasn't until Kira had seen that same look on Shinn's face that he'd realised what it was that bothered him "I'm sorry, Athrun, that's just not good enough anymore"

Athrun cleared his throat "I see…" he too thought, but his thoughts were filled with how he could escape this. He didn't want to talk about it, and to talk about it with Kira seemed the worse thing of all; it was his burden, his sorrow, it wasn't supposed to be passed around like a parcel "may I ask what's changed? I thought we had settled this…"

"So did I" Kira affirmed "but then I saw the same thing in Shinn's face and I realised that's it's not settled at all"

"Look, you killed my friend, then I killed yours. We're level as usual"

"No, we're not, Athrun" now Kira leant forwards on the table, the passion in him making his voice more fevered "because as sad as I am about Tolle, I don't get that haunted feeling that I see in Shinn's face, that I see in your face when you think I'm not watching"

Athrun nodded. He knew now there was no escape, Kira had latched on to something and their friendship decreed no secrets between them, not ever. Kira was the one person in the world Athrun truly opened up to; Lacus could read him like a book but he'd never freely talked of his feelings, and with Cagalli it was all about the future and the battle of life that they took together, but again she had to drag his feelings out of him with a magnet.

Kira knew that, knew he was the only one who knew all about Athrun; it was something he was sure never to let go, as far as he was concerned that trust and faith in each other cemented their friendship. After all this time, there was no possibility that Kira was giving up without a fight.

Athrun sighed "that's because…you don't feel guilt for Tolle's death, you're sad because he was your friend, but you don't blame yourself…"

"But you blame yourself for Nicol's death?"

Athrun faltered, but there was no going back "…I do"

"Why? He was coming to your aid as Tolle was for me, there's no difference"

"That's not quite true, is it?" Athrun cleared his throat before continuing "Tolle was coming to help you, but Nicol was coming to _save_ me, that's a very big difference" he looked away from Kira for the first time in a while "my point is, I would be dead right now if Nicol hadn't come when he did, at the time Tolle showed up I was nowhere near defeating you because you still had more than enough power to fight back, where as I…I'd run out of power and I was completely defenceless, Nicol saved me…that's the difference"

Kira was silent, taking this in slowly as he weighed what he'd thought to what Athrun had told him.

Taking advantage of that quiet, Athrun decided to change the flow of conversation slightly "I imagine that Shinn is going through the same thing, the circumstances aren't the same, Shinn had a chance to keep her, but she was dying and he thought he was doing the right thing, so he gave her back to Earth Alliance who put her straight back on the battlefield"

Kira didn't dismissed this, but he knew that it was Athrun's avoidance technique and so he put this information to one side in order to return to the pain Athrun had been holding on to "you weren't going to tell me, were you?"

Athrun shook his head "It's my burden, Kira, mine to hold alone"

"Only because you insist on blaming yourself, that's something you don't have to do, Athrun"

"I think I do…"

"Why?"

Athrun didn't know what to say, he didn't know how to put in to words that Kira would understand; true, he didn't have to hold forever on to his guilt about Nicol, maybe one day he could let go, but was it right to even do so? His chest heaved a heavy silent sigh and he tried to understand at what point this conversation had centred so heavily on him. Hadn't they been talking about Shinn? It's what Athrun had planned to do, but somehow Kira had managed to turn his plan back on itself.

Still deep in thought, Athrun's eyebrows lifted to ceilings above.

All these years he'd known Kira Yamato, and yet, to this day, he had no idea how Kira always managed to wheedle out of Athrun the things he wanted to know. It seemed an impossible task to keep a secret from Kira when you were one Athrun Zala.

* * *

><p>"So Captain Yamato didn't say anything to you?"<p>

Shinn shrugged "he seemed to think Athrun had chewed my ear off enough"

Lunamaria nodded as she linked her arm in to Shinn's "he's probably right, you and Athrun still seem to clash even though he's not our superior anymore"

"That's hardly my fault"

"You were the one that _sighed_ in the middle of that meeting! Honestly, Shinn, there's no hope for you"

"I was bored!"

"So was I, beyond words! But I refrained from making that known, if it had been Commander Joule who had put us there, he would have probably locked you up and thrown away the key"

"Yeah, well it wasn't him, was it? And as usual it was Athrun who gave me the lecture…if I'm honest I'm surprised he didn't hit me again"

"That's probably because he's given up on you, there's no point in trying to make you see sense, you just won't" Lunamaria dug at him "you're a lost cause, Shinn Asuka"

"Thanks" said Shinn flatly.

"Hey, don't be like that!" she pressed herself closer to him in a half hug "I like you just the way you are"

"But you think I'm a brat too"

"Well…yeah" she admitted ruefully "but when you're not being a brat you're actually a cool guy"

"Try telling that to Athrun" Shinn grumbled, he hadn't meant to, but it was bugging him. He'd only sighed in one lousy meeting, he hadn't even intended for anyone to hear it and yet Athrun had accused him of not wanting peace; of course he wanted peace, more than anything, too many innocent people had died and Shinn hated that. All those families that had been torn apart and would never heal, Shinn didn't want any more of those to happen.

And then there was that thing about Kira Yamato; he couldn't stand it that Athrun seemed so determined to make Shinn _like_ his new Captain, just because he was Athrun's best friend didn't mean he had to become Shinn's best friend. Shinn already had a best friend, just because Rey was dead it didn't mean it made him any less of a friend and Shinn didn't WANT to be friends with his Captain, that was just weird anyway. Sure, he knew the guy was the pilot of the Freedom and that he was one of the best, a Captain to be proud of…but that didn't mean they had to be FRIENDS. He just didn't understand why Athrun was so desperate for Shinn to approve of Kira so much.

And why was he getting so mad with Shinn anyway, it wasn't his fault the meetings were so boring and the guy that had kept farting had made breathing impossible on more than one occasion. Athrun had been sitting right next to the guy: Shinn was genuinely amazed his former Commander was still alive.

"I'm not a brat" he muttered under his breath.

Lunamaria heard him speak and looked sideways at him "he really got to you, huh"

"No!"

"Why do you let him twist you up like this? You never used to, I thought you didn't care what Athrun thought of you"

"I don't"

"So why are you taking it so to heart? It's not as if it's the first time Athrun's given you grief, you two were always at each other's throats"

"I'm not taking it to heart!"

Lunamaria lifted her eyebrows "you could have fooled me"

Shinn growled inwardly and clenched his fist in his pocket "I just hate being called a brat! Athrun knows all I want is peace and he knows why! Those people in that room weren't discussing peace, they were just making up rules and regulations to make things stick together! They were the ones being brats, pretending they were all friends when in reality they're just there to everyone else believe in their _ideals_! If there's anyone Athrun should be shouting at, it's them not me!"

Lunamaria stopped and pulled Shinn to a halt in the middle of the street, waiting until the small group behind them had passed she turned to face him and looked at him closely "why is this affecting you so badly? Is it because it's taking so long, or because of something else?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, is this about the peace discussions, or about Athrun?"

"Why would anything be about HIM?" snorted Shinn.

"Because you haven't stopped talking about him ever since we met up tonight" Lunamaria replied simply "are you mad at him for something?"

"You mean apart from giving me lip as usual!" Shinn huffed "he's not even my superior anymore and yet it's still him who gives me the lectures, geez why doesn't he just let Captain Yamato alone and let him deal with me if I'm such a bother"

Lunamaria frowned "what makes you think you're a bother, Shinn?"

"Because I'm always a bother to Athrun! I always have been!"

"That's because you keep picking fights"

"No I don't, Athrun just takes offence at everything I do! If he's so offended then why doesn't he just pack off back to Orb and leave me alone!"

"Don't you think that'd be kinda sad?" asked Lunamaria.

"Ha, no!"

"I do" she sighed and looked down at the pavement "I never told you this, but, before Athrun was classed as a traitor, I talked to him about you"

Shinn's eyes widened "what? What did you say?"

"I told him that if he stopped trying to be so nice and trying to find common ground with you he might have more of an effect. You know, if he stopped being so nice. I guess he's taken my advice now…I'm sorry, I didn't think it would effect you this badly"

"Wha-" Shinn spluttered as he tried to make sense of what Lunamaria had just told him "I'm not affected!"

"Yes, you are, Shinn. For the first time Athrun didn't try to reason with you, he just ticked you off and left. I have to say I'm amazed by the result it's achieved"

Now Shinn folded his arms "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Face it, Shinn, he hurt you"

Shinn laughed, a dry laugh filled with pretend humour "Athrun? Hurt me? That's funny!" he laughed again "I don't give a damn about that guy and I certainly don't care what he thinks of me, and if he wants to call me a brat then he can go right ahead"

With that Shinn walked passed her and marched on; Lunamaria sighed as she watched him walk away, his back was proud and his shoulders were strong, but she knew Shinn better now. When he was bluffing, trying to conceal his emotions, he hid behind anger and boasts sometimes he was just too passionate for his own good. She hurried after him, running slightly to keep up and trying to catch his arm again.

He stopped and let her, her hand grabbing at his sleeve as they came together; absently he sighed and looked at her "it's getting late, you know, didn't you tell Meyrin you'd be back early?"

"She can wait a while longer"

"No, you'd better get back" he shook his head and looked away again "you got her back, Luna, you should spend as much time with her as possible"

"But-"

He smiled and gently took her hand from his arm "we're not together anymore, remember, you don't have to worry about me now"

"Except I do, Shinn!" she furrowed her eyebrows "you're important to me whether we're together or not!"

"And you mean a lot to me" he replied "but really, I'm alright"

Lunamaria frowned but let go of his arm; he gave her another nod and a smile and she took a step back "alright, I'll go" she said "but only if you promise me one thing"

He blinked "what?"

"When Athrun was our Commander, and even when he was fighting against us, he was always trying to talk to you, warn you about Chairman Durandal and make you understand the truth"

"Yeah, so?"

"There was always a part of you that wanted to listen, right?" she looked in to his crimson eyes earnestly "always something inside of you that wanted to hear what he had to say, you were always battling between what he was telling you and what the Chairman was telling you"

Shinn tightened his lips; Chairman Durandal was a subject too close to Rey "what of it?" he asked shortly.

"Well…maybe it's about time you let that part of you have a chance" Lunamaria replied; she smiled at Shinn, a smile filled with all the care and warmth she felt for him even though they were no longer paired as one, silently she took his hand in hers and unclenched his fingers "it's ok, Shinn, it's ok to _like_ Athrun, so stop fighting yourself"

* * *

><p>The sushi shop was packed at that time of evening, the families had all drifted away to leave it free for friends, lovers and a suspicious pair of old people who looked as if they might have actually died and not noticed just yet. Athrun sat in the corner of his clove with Yzak beside him and Dearka opposite; currently Yzak and Athrun were watching Dearka dig in to his third main course, which was looking like it was going to join the previous two in a bottomless black hole.<p>

Yzak had been starving Dearka again; the poor guy had been looking forward to another night of no food until Athrun had taken pity on him and paid for his food.

Sometimes Yzak was just mean.

"So any updates from Orb?" asked Yzak biting down on a pair of chopsticks; he'd finished his meal some time ago, and was now amusing himself by biting down on the pieces of thin wood.

"Didn't you watch Cagalli's speech?"

"Why would I? I have no interest in the goings on in Orb" Yzak sighed watching Dearka slurp down a mouthful of noodles with about as much dignity as a blood thirsty vampire "besides, you are my updates announcer"

Athrun sat back against the wall and leant his head back next to a painting of some type of food dish "Orb is helping out with the refugees as much as they can, helping the homeless even in countries outside Orb"

"How charitable of them" Yzak commented.

Sometimes, even Athrun found it difficult to tell if the Commander was being sarcastic or not, he continued nonetheless "they've also been rebuilding a lot of their buildings, I hear the Plants have offered to aid with the funding"

"Huh, fools"

"Oh?"

"We have enough damage here to deal with" Yzak replied callously "we should be spending the money on ourselves and repairing the Plants, not giving the money to Orb which, lets face it, isn't exactly known for its poverty"

"It's all in the name of peace, Yzak"

"Sounds like bribery to me"

"You sound like Shinn"

"Who?"

"Shinn Asuka, he was the pilot of the Destiny"

"You mean that new mobile suit that you took out? The hotshot who sighed in the meeting?"

"Yes, you have met Shinn actually" Athrun reproached "it wouldn't do you any harm to remember, he's working for Kira now"

"Oh, as part of the peace club committee? I don't know who I feel sorry for more, Yamato or the hotshot"

Athrun released a sigh "have you got a problem with what Kira's doing?"

"No, I have a problem with what he's not doing" Yzak answered.

"And that is?"

"I would have thought it was obvious to anyone who wasn't blind"

"Well it's not"

"Hmm, you surprise me" Yzak looked up from his chopsticks and gave Athrun a thoughtful glance "I suppose it's because he's your friend, that's why you don't see it, Kira Yamato's your one weakness" he returned to his chopsticks and pulled the menu towards him, looking down at it languidly while over on the other side of the table Dearka finished his last meal and sat back in his seat with a sigh and a pat of his stomach.

"I don't understand what you're saying" Athrun persisted despite Yzak's growing curiosity in the menu.

Yzak shrugged no longer interested in the topic of discussion "maybe it's me being over sensitive then"

"Yzak" Athrun was annoyed, most of the time he could put up with Yzak's little games; it was Yzak's way of getting one over on Athrun every so often, a way of reminding Athrun that one day Yzak would surpass him. But peace was important to Athrun, and the well being of Orb came under that; he couldn't simply let Yzak's comments just float away in to forgotten conversation.

"All I mean is you're so one track minded and that's not like you" Yzak replied "you've let Yamato and Miss Clyne dictate to you, not to mention the ideals of Orb, you've all become so enthralled with the idea of peace that you're not looking at what's happening"

"And that is?" asked Athrun again; he looked over to Dearka to see if he could offer assistance, but the off duty soldier only gave him a nonplussed expression.

"Alright, I'll ask you a question" Yzak continued to stroll down the menu, carefully deciding his dessert as if it were a battle yet to be planned "when did the war end?"

"Fourteen months ago"

"And how long were you initially planning to stay in the Plants before returning to Orb?"

"Eight months to begin with but we never expected-"

"And in that time what has been decided?"

"I don't understand"

"No" Yzak agreed "clearly"

"If you just spit it out then we would" Dearka replied leaning his head in his hand, elbow on the table "I hate it when you play these games"

Yzak looked up from the menu at last and rose from his seat "fine then, one last question" he fixed his gaze on Athrun and fell silent for a moment, prolonging Athrun's reaction for as long as possible "why is everything taking so long?"

Having said his piece he turned from their table and slipped in between other tables still full with people and plates; Athrun watched him go thoughtfully and mulled over the last question, Dearka on the other hand snorted, "taking so long? What did he expect? World peace isn't made in a day"

"You're right" Athrun agreed "things have been difficult, meetings have been distracted by the destruction the war left behind, there are still thousands and thousands of people suffering from all the tragedies and supplies have taken time to be delivered to where they were needed…still…" he paused still thinking on Yzak's last words.

It wasn't anything to consider; people wanted peace, all of them, even Durandal in his strange way wanted peace. All the tyrants had been killed, destroyed; there wasn't anyone left in the world, Logos had been eliminated and no attacks had come from any side.

He looked up at Dearka "do you think he has a point?"

"I think Yzak wants everything to happen now" Dearka replied.

"So no one else has questioned the length of time?"

"Not that I've heard of"

But now Athrun's thoughts moved to Shinn, who had been bored in the meetings…but that had been because he'd found the meeting uninteresting not because he thought things were taking too long…wasn't it? He was impatient, just as impatient as Yzak could be; surely it was the simple lack of visible progress that was making them restless.

"Look, you know Yzak" Dearka interrupted his thoughts and Athrun looked up "the guy demands everything yesterday and gets mad when it doesn't happen, he doesn't see the subtle and sometimes has to be bullied in to believing something that goes against the grain. Yzak's a man of action, all this talking is just getting to him, that's all"

Athrun took this in and nodded again "I guess you're right" he answered as the door opened behind him and cool air rushed in with the new customer "he always was one to attack and then ask questions"

"Exactly" Dearka chuckled to himself as he glanced over at his Commander "you're the one being over sensitive, stop looking for conflict when there isn't any"

"I do tend to over analyse things" Athrun admitted "but issues are tender at the moment, the worst thing we can do is turn a blind eye just because we're desperate for peace, all that'll do is lead to conflict and rebellion"

"Talking of rebellion" Dearka nodded his head over Athrun's shoulder "your number one fan's just arrived"

Athrun turned and looked back over his shoulder; there Shinn stood in the doorway, waiting for a waiter to take him to a seat. Athrun lifted his eyebrows in surprise; he hadn't expected Shinn to come to a place like this, he'd assumed it was a little out of his price range, unless Kira had sneaking extra payment. The younger Coordinator was on his own it seemed, which also took Athrun by surprise; it was rare Shinn was on his own these days, either he was with Lunamaria or other members of the old _Minerva_.

"You wouldn't think he was a killing machine, would you?" he said to Dearka "he looks so normal"

"So do you when you're not uniform" Dearka replied "I figure we all look pretty ordinary when we're not playing soldiers…except Yzak of course…the guy looks like a mugger half the time" he sniggered only to find Yzak standing next to him with a glare plastered on his face "uhh…I say that with a great deal of affection and love…"

"How about I lock you in a cell somewhere and throw away the key?" Yzak suggested icily "see how much you love me then?"

Dearka laughed.

Yzak didn't.

Athrun slid out from his seat before the Zaft Commander had time to sit back down and handed a wedge of money to Dearka so he could pay for his food "I'll see you later"

"Why? Where are you going?" Yzak demanded.

"To see Shinn"

"But he doesn't _like_ you"

"I know"

"The guy's a sucker for punishment" commented Dearka lazily flicking through the money.

"So are you" replied Yzak in a deadly voice "if I catch you calling me a mugger again I'll dismiss you from Zaft so quick you'll fly faster than a mobile suit"

"I'm…sorry?"

Yzak glared.

Dearka cleared his throat meekly.

Athrun passed through the tables to the other side of the restaurant, pausing only to allow the little old lady passed – apparently she had decided she was indeed alive, her husband on the other hand was looking more like a zombie every passing minute: he kept moaning. Athrun smiled politely and continued on completely oblivious to the table of teenaged girls who all turned their heads, one of them letting out a whistle of approval.

Shinn was sat by himself against the wall on a high stool by a bar; along to his left there were others who had come in alone, but the chair beside him was empty for which he was partly glad. He hated to be on his own, but right now company just seemed too much: it was times like these that he missed Rey, his friend had always known when to be quiet and what to say when it was needed.

He pushed these thoughts roughly and refused to think on it anymore, he didn't want to think about his family either…though the pink phone burned a hole in his pocket; there was a small part him that wished he'd left it at home, but he hated to leave it behind.

It was then the stool next to him moved back and someone sat down next to him; thinking it was a stranger Shinn ignored it and continued with his 'not' thinking until he felt as if he was being watched.

He looked up.

"You?"

"Hey there" Athrun smiled.

Shinn scowled "what are you doing here?"

"In a restaurant?" Athrun thought, "well, I'm eating…or I was"

"Oh" said Shinn without interest.

"The better question would be why are you here?" asked Athrun "I would have thought it was a little out of your price range" he looked at Shinn sharply "you haven't started stealing I hope"

"No!" Shinn snapped, irritated at the very suggestion "I've been saving up!"

"Ah" Athrun looked around as if to find someone else he would recognise "are you here on your own?"

"Don't you see the invisible man standing right next to me?"

"So you are on your own?"

"Yeah! Gotta a problem with that!"

"Not at all, it's just not like you"

"I'm sure you'll be able to handle the shock"

Athrun took the sarcasm with a pinch of sugar and turned to face the bar in front of him "I take it you're mad with me"

"What gave you that idea?"

"I think it was the deathly glare that clinched it for me"

"So what if I am mad!" Shinn growled, "no one likes to be called a brat!"

"Ahh, so that's what's got to you" Athrun looked sideways at the head of raven hair, Shinn's hair was all he could really see for the simple fact that the Coordinator was refusing to even turn in his direction. Athrun sighed, "you did distract a very important meeting, Shinn"

"I didn't know one sigh was going to break the whole conversation! If you ask me they were all too easily distracted anyway! Most of them spent more time drinking coffee and eating biscuits than talking! How does that resolve anything?"

"That's not true" Athrun answered "some decisions were made today, with the new laws that were granted today it shouldn't be long before Coordinators and Naturals will be able to mingle in places other than Orb"

"I'll believe it when I see it" replied Shinn stubbornly. He still wasn't looking at his unwelcome companion; the word 'brat' kept floating around his mind like a buzzing fly.

"Anyway, whether you see progress or not, it doesn't give you the right to announce to the whole world that you're bored" Athrun said "and I stand by that"

"So you're not going to apologise?"

"I don't see why I should"

"Calling someone a brat isn't nice!"

"Maybe, but I think you'll find you've called me things a lot worse than that"

"You're not my superior anymore, I can talk to you however I want"

"I'm a guest to the Plants and an Admiral of Orb, don't you think it'd be polite to show me a little respect? Surely I would deserve that much" not that Athrun would expect that any time soon.

"What you deserve is to locked in a room with that farting guy and left there to rot" replied Shinn.

There was a pause.

And then a chuckle.

Shinn looked around; Athrun was laughing at him, his shoulders shaking a little "what's so funny?"

"Oh, it's nothing" Athrun cleared his throat "I think I've already been through that punishment, however" he laughed again quietly "I knew they were powerful, but I didn't realise the smell floated all the way over to you"

"Are you kidding me! Every time he let one off I thought I was going to pass out in disgust! And do you know the guy is _married_? I don't know how his wife is still alive!"

"I'm sure it was just something he ate"

"Lets hope for the sake of peace you're right, we can't create a peaceful world if all the Council members die of flatulent gasses"

Athrun smiled as Shinn perused the menu slowly deciding what he wanted; at first Shinn ignored him, hoping his stubborn silence would make it clear enough that he _almost_ wanted to be alone; it was stupid, he whole heartedly wanted Athrun to get up and leave, but at the same time he knew that, as soon as Athrun left, Shinn Asuka would be all alone again.

Alone, like the time when his family were torn from him.

And when Stellar had died in his arms.

The moment he was told his best friend had been killed in action.

And the moment that same friend had called to him to tell him that Athrun had been classed a traitor; yes, he'd felt alone then too, the feeling of loss, that he couldn't even have a superior that didn't leave him, the shock. Yes, that had all scarred him too; it was then made worse when he'd destroyed them. That had been the worst feeling of all; the thought that he killed Athrun, and Meyrin, had made him feel as if he'd had nothing in the world. The dreams had been horrible.

"You've gone very quiet"

Shinn started and looked quickly at Athrun "what? … I was just thinking, that's all"

"That's unusual for you"

Shinn opened his mouth to bark another insult in return, but when he caught the look on Athrun's face he found that the Coordinator from Orb was only smiling gently. Clamping his mouth firmly Shinn scowled back at the menu again.

"Can I ask what you were thinking about?"

"The best way to get rid of you"

"Ah, I see" Athrun teased lightly "permanently or merely temporarily?"

"I'm not planning to kill you, stupid, I'd go to prison. That'd be a perfectly good waste of my life"

"True, but are you expecting me to believe you've _never_ wanted to kill me?" Athrun lifted an eyebrow "not even once? I find that difficult to believe"

"No matter what you think, I'm not into killing people for no reason, even if I don't like them!"

"You just like giving them a hard time instead"

"You deserved everything you got!"

"Oh?" Athrun gasped, "why didn't I see that? Of course I earned every verbal insult, didn't I? I was always so mean to you"

Shinn growled, "would you STOP BEING SO DAMN SARCASTIC! I HATE it when you do that!"

"Would you prefer it if I were flippant?"

"No! I- ah! JUST GET LOST!"

* * *

><p>And there ya have it. A nice long chapter to get your teeth in to. I'm trying to keep in character as much as possible, so please tell me if you don't agree. Also, any spelling mistakes you see it would be good if you just pointed them out.<p>

I'm also trying to get the relationship between Athrun and Kira across too; partly because I love the friendship they have, and partly because it creates later friction between Athrun and Shinn. Who doesn't love a good bicker? I do, a good natter with someone you love to hate is the thing I love writing most. It's probably why I love these two so much.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and return for some more when I update. Please a review with any comments or crictics.

Thanks for reading!

Kiki

Kizzes!


	2. Things Unbidden

**Review Replies  
><strong>Choo-Chong: Thanks ever so much for your review! I'm thrilled you love the story so soon!

Mu's Dog: Thanks for the review! Btw, great name!

Shinreizen: Thanks a lot for the review! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Between you and me I personally think Shinn is a brat...or at least a little self absorbed, so that probably fliters through when I'm writing Athrun, lol. I want to hopefully maintain the whole mentor/student thing Athrun and Shinn had in the series even though they didn't really get on, but I also want to bring out a part of Shinn that gets Athrun going...otherwise I'm going to write hundreds of chapters about to guys who never get anyway :P thanks again!

* * *

><p>Hey, guys. First off, thanks for the reviews...I was expecting one if that so getting seven is pretty good in my book. May you continue to support and preferably praise.<p>

So we're on to the second chappy. It's not as long as the first, mainly because I got distracted - blame the dog...it might not be her fault but just blame her anyway - and thus lost the thread and decided to wrap up instead waffling on randomly.

WARNINGS:...Um...can't think of any...but if you see some then just skip a couple of lines and I'm sure it'll be over.

Disclaimer: I do not own MSGSD, nor any of its characters.

Author's Note: I can't remember, it has been some years now, who became Chairman after Durandal. Some websites say it's Lacus and some say she was a go-between that joined the nations. Personally I'm more inclined to believe the latter as I can't see Lacus suddenly choosing a side after all this time of spouting peace; that's why I've made her a go-between, it suits my story better anyway, and I made some random nameless woman the actual Chairman of the Plants. It's not actually that important, but I figured I'd get ahead of anyone who suddenly starting trying to tell me Lacus was the actual Chairman.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Silver And Gold <strong>

**Chapter Two: Things Unbidden**

It was strange to think that an hourglass could hold so many people, all those families, friends, lovers, enemies, children, brothers, sisters, they all lived in an object shaped, when one turned it horizontally, like a bowtie. How could an object that had once been a universal symbol for the passage of time hold so many lives and stories? And there were a lot of stories to tell; the story of the man who met the love of his life in the street, or the story of how the dog had chased a bird from one side of busy road to another and caused no less than six cars to collide with each other.

The insurance bill on that one was enough to knock anyone's head off.

Needless to say, the owner of the dog found himself left with nothing except a newspaper cutting of the incident, a rather scruffy dog, and a dead bird.

And then there was the story that the beautiful Lacus Clyne told every day to the universe in general.

The story of peace.

The story of a world where there was no war, no conflict, and no pain.

A world where the only sorrow known was the sorrow of the past.

It seemed such a beautiful story, such an impossible feat, and yet Lacus Clyne spent her days tirelessly working so that precious story could become a precious reality.

It was evening time, the sun was sinking down in to the land once again and the skies were ablaze with crimson and gold. Lacus Clyne was in her current place of residence; maybe the fact that this place had once been lived in by Meer Campbell was no coincidence, she seemed determined to never forget the girl that had died with the same face as hers. It was a handsome place and a large to keep, but save for the cleaners who came once every week and the gardeners that came twice a month Lacus hired no staff; she liked to cook her own meals and Kira suspected more than once that this was her safe heaven from the rest of the world.

Now she was making dinner, a supper for a small gathering it turned out as people started arriving; Athrun came first, still in his uniform despite the strict instructions from Lacus that all those off duty for the night were to come in ordinary clothes. When Athrun had pointed out he wasn't actually off duty at that time she had given him a smile…

…Wisely Athrun had requested to borrow some of Kira's clothes.

Fortunately both he and Kira were of the same shape and size, though in all honesty Athrun found some of Kira's various garbs to be a little flamboyant. The jackets he could handle, but the bright yellow trousers with the flowers printed up the sides were a little beyond him. He had a feeling those particular pair of trousers had been bought by someone pulling a joke: Andrew Waltfelt sprang to mind. Luckily however there was a pair of black trousers and a grey top at hand and this was what Athrun adorned before returning downstairs.

Yzak and Dearka arrived next, followed by Arthur Trine who looked a little uncomfortable and odd in a blue suit he'd come in; by that time the smells of the kitchen had roused Kira's interest and he'd made his way to the large table that was slowly filling with plates.

"It smells good," he said as opposite him Dearka grabbed hold of a breadstick and proceeded to chomp on it, only to have it swiped away from him by Yzak "would I be wrong in guessing it to be mackerel?"

"You did tell me it was your favourite dish" she replied from the sizzling pan.

"My mom used to make it all the time when I was a kid" Kira smiled "do you remember, Athrun?"

"Yes," said Athrun "you and your mom _loved_ mackerel"

"She used to cook the whole fish" Kira went on head still in the past "and flavour it with butter and lemon, it was delicious!"

"Mm, it sounds tasty" Arthur agreed, he turned to look over his shoulder at Lacus "may I ask what you'll be flavouring this meal with, Miss Clyne?"

"I thought I'd keep it simple and infuse the fish with herbs and spices"

"Smells good" Dearka agreed.

Yzak on the other hand looked over at Athrun "I thought you didn't like fish"

Athrun cleared his throat "I don't"

Kira's eyes widened "oh, Athrun, I'm so sorry, I completely forgot!"

"How long have you known me?"

"It's been so long since then, it just slipped my mind, and it's my favourite dish so when Lacus suggested it for tonight I just didn't think"

"You want to know what's worse?" said Athrun gloomily.

"What?"

"Mackerel is Cagalli's favourite dish too"

Kira looked rather endeared.

"So…if you don't like fish, what did you eat when Captain Yamato ate mackerel?" asked Trine curiously.

"Mrs Yamato was kind enough to make me other meals, but Kira insisted on shoving the head of the fish in my face so on those particular nights I didn't actually eat much" replied Athrun with a sideways scowl at said childhood friend who at least had the decency to look somewhat abashed.

"Mr Trine, we're off duty right now" Kira smiled over at the older man "there's no need to call me Captain, Kira is just fine"

"If you wish, Cap- Kira" Arthur nodded his head in gratitude.

"Oh dear, what will I do?" Lacus mused worriedly "I made all this fish, I'm sorry, Athrun, I had no idea you didn't like fish"

"But you two were going to be married" Yzak pointed out "surely you _told_ her" he accused Athrun.

"The topic never actually surfaced" Athrun replied before turning to Lacus "really, Lacus, I don't want you to do go any trouble on my account"

"But you must eat something, Lady Cagalli would never forgive me if we let return to Orb half starved"

"I'll just eat some bread or something, it's fine"

"But you must have something else" Lacus insisted "it would be no good if we were all tucking in to a big meal while you went hungry"

"Oh, I'm sure we can persuade Athrun to eat a little something" said Yzak.

He and Dearka grinned.

He didn't know what it was, but all of a sudden Athrun felt the sudden urge to jump in to the Justice and fly head first in to a troop of fifty or more Mobile Suits.

"Maybe I'll go and check on…the patrol" Athrun suggested sliding back his chair.

"Really? Why?" Kira asked, "I have enough people guarding Lacus, do you think she's in any danger?"

"No, I think I'm in danger" his friend replied not quite as casually as he would have liked "especially if I stay here"

As one Trine and Kira looked over at the other side of the table.

The looks of evil pleasure on the faces of Yzak and Dearka were really quite creepy, Trine sighed "oh really, call yourself a commander, you've got the maturity of a ten year old"

Yzak bristled, but Dearka said, "don't listen to him, Yzak, what's a little insult or two in light of entertainment we have in store"

"Maybe I'll do a little patrolling myself" Athrun muttered.

"Please stay, Athrun" Lacus beseeched "I have some rather valuable topics I wish to discuss tonight, I want to ask your opinions on the peace treaties"

"I'll be back in time for dessert" Athrun assured her quickly "but we have to make sure you stay safe, Lacus, you're very important right now, if anything were to happen to you I'd never forgive myself"

Over Lacus's shoulder Yzak taunted him. _Coward_.

* * *

><p>Outside the sunset had slipped quickly in to darkness, the night sky above dotted with tiny stars; there were plenty of lights to see by, however, both from inside the manor and outside in the gardens marking the pathways. Athrun reached the veranda and stepped out with a soft sigh; the air was warm and there was no breeze to ruffle his hair, he breathed in the scents of all the flowers and trees and walked further out. Down the steps and spread out were the gardens, vast and well kept with the flowers disappearing in to the dark; the pool wasn't in sight from this angle of the house but the lights of it shone over to Athrun's left as he stared up at the sky.<p>

It was amazing to think that, after all the destructions and bloodshed, the stars still twinkled like diamonds-

There was a noise behind him.

Athrun whirled around.

A gun was pointing in his face; in a flash, Athrun knocked the gun from his attacker's hand and grabbed the bony wrist, he pushed forwards with all his weight just as his assailant hit back. They twisted with each other for a moment, grappling in the dark before Athrun overpowered the other and sent him crashing to the ground.

"Ow" said a voice.

Athrun blinked.

"Shinn?"

"Yes, it's me! What the hell was that for!"

"I heard a noise behind me, I reacted, sorry" Athrun held out a hand.

Shinn knocked it away and struggled to his feet, retrieving his gun as he did so "that hurt!" he snapped.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise who it was. What are you doing here?"

"My job!"

"You're on duty tonight?"

"I don't usually go around people's gardens for the sake of smelling the flowers"

"Fair point" Athrun conceded "so, why did you point the gun at me?"

"I didn't know who you were!" the younger Coordinator answered back "you just stepped out right in front of me from nowhere! For all I knew you were here to attack Miss Clyne"

"I see"

"Had I known who it was, I would have probably pulled the trigger" Shinn muttered under his breath, he cleared his throat when he realised Athrun had heard his voice and said in louder volumes "I didn't know you were coming here tonight"

"Lacus has organized a dinner party"

"Well why aren't you in there eating food rather than out here bothering me!" Shinn demanded, then he glared "are you checking up on me!"

"No, that's not it all. I didn't even realise you were out here. I was…" Athrun trailed off not really willing to reveal to Shinn that the only reason he was out there was to escape his former colleagues. Instead, he asked, "why don't you come in? I'm sure Lacus wouldn't mind, there's plenty to share"

"I'm on duty," Shinn replied as if eating while on duty was a criminal offence "besides, it smells like fish"

"Yes?"

"I can't stand fish"

"Thank goodness for that" Athrun breathed, "I was beginning to think the whole world was mad"

"Athrun!"

They both turned at the new voice and another red uniform dashed in to sight, Lunamaria skidded to a halt just in front of Athrun and threw her arms around him, Athrun blushed.

"Lunamaria, it's been a while"

"Too long more like!" Lunamaria pouted, "you never come to visit us" she scowled at him with accusation "you said you would!"

"Please accept my apologises, I've been somewhat busy as of late" he smiled as she released him "how is Meyrin? I promised to visit her too, I just haven't had chance yet, I feel slightly bad about it"

"_Aww_, with that face how could anyone stay mad at you?"

"Try me" muttered Shinn.

"Meyrin's fine, actually I was wanting to talk to you about her anyway" Lunamaria continued, "there's something I wanted you to know"

"What is it?"

"Well-"

"Don't you think you should patrol the parameter of the property like I told you?" interrupted Shinn "anyone could sneak in through the main gates with you gossiping in the back like this" he scowled at Athrun "and you should go back to your dinner party and stop distracting us"

"You're probably right" Athrun agreed.

"There's no probability about it, I am right! You of all people should know it's classed as a high level danger to distract the sentries from their duties"

"I know, as I said, I didn't know you were out here, I was just trying to-"

"This is important!" Lunamaria barged on over him "and I've been round the parameter twice already, just like you asked, and in the next ten minutes I will do it again" she told Shinn.

Shinn gave her a dark look but Athrun decided to humour her "Meyrin's not ill, is she?"

"No, not at all…well, she might be ill in the head" Lunamaria sighed heavily and continued, "she wants to go to Orb as a Zaft spokesperson"

"Orb?" Athrun was surprised "but does she know anyone in Orb? I would have thought she wouldn't have enough confidence to go to a place where she didn't know anyone very well"

"Oh, didn't you know?" asked Lunamaria with sarcasm in her voice "my sister is positively _brimming_ with confidence now"

"But why go to Orb? What does she feel she can do there?"

"She thinks she can do more there than she can here" Lunamaria sighed and then clung to Athrun's arm "she listens to you, please tell me you'll talk her out of it, you're the only one who can make her see sense"

"Is it not possible for you to talk to her?" asked Athrun, unsure if he wanted to get in the middle of two siblings. The last time he'd upset a sibling, Kira had destroyed his Mobile Suit in one blow.

"I've tried!" Lunamaria growled "but she won't listen to me! She's set her heart on it! I don't want her to go!" she looked pleadingly at her once superior "you have to talk her out of it"

"Have you told her how you feel?"

"I told you, I've tried, but she won't listen!"

Athrun sighed but relented "very well, I have the day off tomorrow, so I will go and visit her"

"And you'll tell her going to Orb is stupid?" asked Lunamaria delightedly.

"I'm not making any promises," he warned "I'm the Representative of Orb, remember. If I feel she will make a noticeable difference then it's my duty to encourage her"

"But you'll try?"

"I will make a judgement with your feelings in consideration"

"Thanks, Athrun!" she beamed at him and gave him another hug "you're such a great guy!"

Shinn snorted, "you should just tell her you don't want her to go" he told Lunamaria "that'll stop her"

"I told you, I did tell her that, she didn't listen"

"So tell her again"

"I've tried over and over, every time she just tells me she knows she can do more in Orb than she can in the Plants"

"What is it she's doing now?" asked Athrun.

"She takes the minutes in some of the meetings between Plant Council Members, it's very important work, but she doesn't see it like that"

"Sounds as boring as hell" commented Shinn.

"Taking the minutes in such meetings is essential" Athrun reprimanded, "a record needs to be taken of all decisions and progressions, that's true for any parliament"

"Exactly!" Lunamaria affirmed, "that's why she is doing something important here in the Plants"

"I didn't say it wasn't important, I said it sounded boring"

"Well, when you're ruling the world you can change as many rules as you like!"

"If I ever rule the world you can guarantee I'll do more than change a few rules" Shinn grunted "for a start, I'd get rid of those lousy boy-bands you're so obsessed with"

"And what is wrong with liking a few well put together men!"

"Well put together!" Shinn hooted with derision "they look like they were produced in a crappy toy factory that made them out of rotting wood and glue"

"That's nothing compared to the shoddy clapped out pansies I've caught you taking a second look at!"

"Wha- What the hell are you talking?"

"That girl, you know, when we were together, the one that kept batting her eyelashes when you were drooling over the new Mobile Suit model?"

"What girl?"

"The one with the high ponytails and impossibly tight skirt"

Shinn thought, "you mean the one that designed the computer works on it?"

"Yeah!"

"What about her?"

"you were flirting!"

"Like hell I was! She was telling me how little configuration it needed!"

"Oh no, you can't pull the wool over my eyes, Shinn Asuka! I saw the way she was staring at your butt!"

"That was her, not me! I didn't look at her twice!"

"Liar!"

"I'm not lying!"

"I don't believe you!"

"That's your problem, not mine!"

"Ha, then I'll MAKE it your prob-"

"Hush!" said Athrun sharply, holding up his hand to silence them "just keep quiet for a minute" Shinn started to argue but Athrun foresaw this and clamped his hand over his mouth "shhh"

He looked around carefully, staring in to the dark with intensity ignoring Shinn who struggled against him; Lunamaria jumped round startled, looking around quickly "is someone there?"

"I'm not sure" Athrun replied "Lunamaria, do you have a torch on you?"

"Yeah, it's right here" Lunamaria scrabbled at her belt and pulled a torch free "I think it works"

Shinn pulled Athrun's hand from his mouth "you think!"

She ignored him and looked to Athrun "where do I point it?"

"Over there in the trees, direct the beam more to the back"

She did so, flicking on the torch and sweeping it from side to side to catch anything; trees flashed in and out of vision, the area was black and out of reach from any light coming from the manor, the beam of light bleached everything to white. The bushes came in stark contrast, leaves lit up before falling once again in to blackness-

"There!" Shinn shouted.

He started forwards, leaping over the wall of the veranda and landing down in the gardens; surging onwards he passed quickly over the lawns and dived in to the trees. He was vaguely aware of someone following him and surmised it was Athrun; he couldn't imagine his old Commander staying behind when there was a possible intruder in the grounds. But he ignored his thoughts, skipping lightly between the trees as behind him again Lunamaria's torch lit the way with a bouncing circle of light.

It was then he became aware that he was chasing something, or someone; for less than a second something flashed in Lunamaria's dancing torchlight and Shinn latched on to it, pulling out his gun as he ran.

"STOP! Who are you!" he swung his weapon upwards "stop or I'll fire!"

He didn't really know why he'd said that; he hadn't had much hope and it was much to dark to see what it was he was shooting at, he barely had enough light to avoid the trees. They were out on the edge of the grounds now, moving towards the west side fast; Shinn tried to see forwards, tried to search through the dark for that moving shape, tried to listen for the smallest of sounds.

But, there was nothing.

He stopped abruptly, and Athrun almost crashed straight in to him.

"What happened?" the Orb Spokesman asked softly in his ear, his soft panting hitting Shinn's neck.

"I don't know, it's-"

"SHINN! ATHRUN! WHERE ARE- WHOA!"

Shinn squawked as he found himself falling forwards, twisting as he fell unable to stop, and Athrun went down with him; they landed in a heap, Shinn on his back wincing as the full weight of Athrun came down atop him. For the second time that night, Shinn gave a moan of pain; the small of his back had struck the gnarled twisted root of a tree, though it felt more like solid stone than old wood.

"Are you alright?"

The young Coordinator opened his eyes and found himself looking in to Athrun's face caught in the torchlight, he flushed darkly grateful of the night around him; the last time he'd been in this position had been with Lunamaria…and the circumstances had been different to say the least. Shinn heaved a sigh and drew in the smell of Athrun; the clothes smelt different, he realised.

Then he shoved the other off him roughly "I'm fine!" he said shortly scrambling up, he glared at Lunamaria, ironically the only one who hadn't fallen over, in the torchlight "make sure you look where you're going next time, would you!"

"I'm sorry, I couldn't see anything and I didn't know where you two were!"

"YOU'RE the one with the torch, woman!"

"I said I was sorry!"

"Would you look at this uniform! Now I'll have to take it to the cleaners!"

"Well, if you weren't homeless you'd have your own washing machine!"

Athrun looked up from brushing himself down "what's this?"

"Don't tell him!" Shinn sputtered.

Lunamaria ignored him "_somebody_ forgot to pay their rent this morning and got kicked out because of it!"

"I didn't forget! I was just waiting for funds, rent is expensive, you know!"

"You're the one that insisted on wasting his money in some sushi shop!"

"Yeah, well…" Shinn trailed off awkwardly, Lunamaria had him on this one "it's got nothing to do with you!"

"Sorry for being interested in your well-being!"

"If you were interested in my well-being, you'd let me stay at your place!"

"I told you, I don't have room while Meyrin is living with me!"

Shinn growled but said nothing more, Athrun looked over at him "do you have a place to go?" he asked.

"Sure, I got thousands of them!" said Shinn toughly.

"Really, because if you don't, the Zaft army is obligated to-"

"I told you, it's not a problem!"

"Alright" Athrun gave up "lets return to the problem in hand then" he reached for the torch "may I?" Lunamaria handed it over and he swung it about him, walking slowly forwards.

"What's the point?" asked Shinn "whoever it was has gone now"

"I'm looking for any signs of disturbance" Athrun said over his shoulder "if someone was here then there would be plants flattered about here" he continued to move the torch this way and that, but in the darkness of the night it was difficult to see what was untouched and what wasn't "did you see anything?"

"Just a shape" Shinn replied leaning against a tree.

"Could it have been an animal?"

"I think I can tell the difference between man and beast"

"Sometimes in the dark it's hard to make the difference"

"I know what I saw" Shinn repeated harder "it wasn't an animal"

"Could it have been just a thief?" asked Lunamaria "you know, just someone out to steal a fancy TV from a rich house?"

"Hmm, that is a possibility…" Athrun murmured only half listening; his mind was in fast-drive, an intruder in to the very residence of Lacus Clyne, a simple thief? Whoever it was had sure been fast, faster than the average robber…or was he looking too deeply in to this? Had Shinn been wrong? Had it been an animal? The younger Coordinator seemed so sure…though, being Shinn, that didn't necessarily mean he was right "I think we'd better return to the house, you two should continue your patrol, and" he added as a second thought "maybe you should call for backup, just to be sure"

"Is that an order?" asked Shinn.

"It's a suggestion that I very strongly recommend you listen to"

* * *

><p>"There you are, you were hours" Kira said as Athrun came back in from the veranda "I was just about to go looking for you, the main course is over with so you can join us again, Lacus has made us dessert- what's wrong?"<p>

"Come with me"

Athrun led the way through the room and down the corridor, passed the kitchen from which noises filtered through; Lacus could be heard questioning each person carefully over their opinions of how the peace treaties were going, in passing Athrun wondered what Yzak would choose to say. Surprisingly, Yzak had great respect for Lacus; he would choose his words very carefully before speaking.

The room next to the kitchen had a Haro bouncing around, it had lost control it seemed: the room, which had been a pantry full of washing and clean garments, was now in dire need of rescuing. Suffice to say, the clean clothes…weren't clean anymore. The room after that was a store room, full of the equipment the cleaners used when they were here; it was this room that Athrun chose, partly because Torii left Kira's shoulder and flew in to the room, perching lightly on top of a table which sat in the middle.

"Athrun" Kira was now rather concerned as Athrun dragged him in to the room and shut the door behind them "what's happened?"

"I'm not sure, I don't have much information…or rather, I don't have enough" Athrun paused, still thinking through what had happened, then he turned to Kira who had stepped closer to him "there was an intruder tonight"

"What!" Kira's eyes widened "when? Where? Were they here for Lacus?"

"I don't know" Athrun shook his head "I heard a noise, and all I saw was a glimpse. I've nothing definite to tell you, Kira"

"But that's important, Athrun! This could be serious!"

"I'm aware of that, but we can't jump to conclusions"

"But-"

"Think about it" Athrun held up his hand "we're in the Plants, not Orb. The Plants are very careful about who they let in. They're not about to let any random Natural in, let alone anyone suspected of being Blue Cosmos"

"So it has to be a Coordinator then!"

"Again, we don't know. For all we know, it could have been a random thief"

Kira paused and gave Athrun a hard look "do you believe that?"

Athrun hesitated and mused, "it…_could_ have been" he replied reasonably "but there's no reason to assume that, why would a Coordinator want to harm Lacus?"

"Lacus is talking about peace, maybe they don't want peace" Kira answered "maybe they're terrorists like the ones that moved Junius Seven, the ones that believed in Patrick Zala's ideals!"

"There is no reason for anyone to believe that any of that leaning is still alive" Athrun said somewhat abruptly, Kira could get very brusque when concerned with Lacus's safety and this was a sensitive topic for Athrun "anyway, those people were out to kill Naturals, not Coordinators, the war was only an inevitable side effect"

"Still, whether that intruder was here for Lacus or not, it doesn't matter, the chances are that they were a Coordinator. That's the more likely scenario, right?"

"The point is that there was an intruder tonight" Athrun answered "it's too dark out there to take a proper look and review the evidence, so we need to focus our efforts on protecting Lacus…or rather, you do" he finished a little lamely, he had remind himself he was only a guest in the Plants now, if he went around ordering people it wouldn't go down well and Orb would have a black mark.

"We need to keep her safe" Kira agreed, seemingly fixing on that point "more patrols, and more guards too, we can't let her out of our sights, we must-"

"No, you do" said Athrun again.

Kira looked up "you're not staying?"

"I'm not with Zaft, Kira. I can't take an active role in this, Lacus is under Zaft protection"

"But, this is Lacus-"

"I know, Kira, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm a part of Orb, an Admiral, the main Representative"

"Then stay here as a civilian" Kira pressed, "damn who you are, Athrun, this is Lacus. Surely that means something to you!"

"You know it does" Athrun replied "but I have Orb duties to attend to, ones that can't wait"

"I see, you're _bailing_ on me"

"Don't be like that"

Kira's eyes narrowed "then how else do I see it?"

"You're being unfair"

There was a pause; Kira was quiet for a moment staring at Athrun as if he wanted to say something else. This wasn't making him popular, Athrun knew that; it couldn't be helped, he was Orb now, an army he'd joined of his own will, he had obligations to return to. Orb had to be his main priority.

Apparently Kira came to this same conclusion; it was he who was a Captain of Zaft, and it was Zaft who was protecting Lacus from harm. Those were Zaft soldiers patrolling the borders of the property, he sighed "forgive me" he leant back against the table and Torii flew up to land back on his shoulder "it's just I would feel safer if you stayed to protect Lacus too"

"Kira, who in the world could defeat _you_?" as rumour had it, the only one who stood even a chance was the person a mere few feet away from the Freedom fighter.

"Still, I'm not sure I'm happy with that"

"Tell Yzak and Dearka" Athrun advised "you know them, tell them what's happened and that you require extra forces, they'll defend Lacus with their lives and an entire Blue Cosmos army couldn't win against them"

Kira didn't reply at once.

Athrun smiled "with you, Yzak and Dearka to contend with, I'd like to see what enemy in its right mind would attack"

"I guess you're right" Kira nodded and stood from the table "I understand"

"Kira?"

Both Coordinators straightened quickly as Lacus appeared in the doorway, pushing the door open.

"There you are" she walked in to the room "I was looking for you, I thought you both might have got lost"

"No, we were…just talking" Athrun replied with a quick look at Kira.

Was it better to tell Lacus the truth?

Maybe he would take the coward's way out and leave that to Kira.

"Oh, about something important?" asked Lacus looking at Kira.

"Nothing that can't wait until after dessert" he replied gently "I'll tell you everything"

"In that case you'd better hurry" Lacus laughed gently "I've got three hungry men in there just scoffing their way through dessert, if you don't get there soon it'll be all gone"

She turned to the door and then looked back at them, waiting for them to leave first; there was that look about her, that look that suggested she knew more than she was letting on. It wasn't that Lacus made a habit of unnerving Athrun, but there were times when he wondered what type of couple they would have made, she always had known how to put him in his place.

They reached the kitchen and filed in "I found them" Lacus said to them all "I was worried they'd missed all the dessert, but I see you were kind enough to leave some"

"We didn't want to appear greedy, Miss Clyne" Trine answered drinking from his wine glass "though I have to say, it was simply delicious. Thank you so much for inviting me"

"No, I wanted to thank you" Lacus replied, "your opinions on the Peace Treaties were very valuable"

"What is it?" asked Kira sitting back down in his seat "it smells good"

"She could put a rotting animal in front of you and you'd still say it smelt good" said Yzak cynically.

"Yzak, be nice" Dearka warned "otherwise you'll have Athrun and Kira after your blood"

"I hope you two behaved yourselves" replied Athrun sitting next to Kira.

"We were as good as gold" Dearka smirked "you were out there a long time, Athrun, you must be _hungry_"

Athrun didn't reply; he was rather hungry as it happened, but there wasn't a chance in hell he'd admit that to the evil pair opposite him. He looked down at the dessert that Lacus placed in front of him and picked up his spoon in answer to the growl in his stomach; beside him Kira was tucking in with enthusiasm.

"Please eat, Athrun, you haven't had anything tonight" Lacus encouraged "this time I chose your favourite, sponge pudding with a thick white rum sauce"

"It smells perfect" he replied slipping his spoon in to the sauce.

In retrospect, he probably should have seen it coming.

Yzak and Dearka were cackling before he had the spoon halfway to his mouth.

He choked.

"Is that…_mackerel_?"

* * *

><p>It was late, later than he'd intended; he was supposed to have contacted Cagalli half an hour ago and there were reports to be made, not to mention other Orb representatives he had to contact. He wasn't the only Orb spokesperson in the Plants and they all wanted to compare notes and hold a meeting to discuss how developments in the Plants would affect Orb.<p>

In truth, he would have rather stayed behind and he had the feeling that, had Cagalli known the circumstances, she would have insisted; but with Kira, Yzak and Dearka protecting Lacus, Athrun felt his aid wouldn't be needed and he wasn't even sure Yzak would allow it. As Yzak had said, Lacus was in the Plants protected by Zaft, and Zaft would be the one to protect her. Thinking about it, that had probably been a hint for Athrun personally.

He reached the main doors and nodded to the sentry standing there, the man saluted to him as Athrun made his way down the steps.

"Hey"

Athrun paused and turned around "Shinn, you really shouldn't '_hey_' an Admiral of Orb"

"What are you going to do about it?" asked Shinn "complain to Captain Yamato?"

"He has more pressing matters to attend to"

"That's what I wanted to talk about"

"Yes?"

"I assumed you would tell him about it, so I didn't make a report to him. Will I get in trouble for not doing it?"

"It is required to make a report, but I don't see Kira punishing you for it" Athrun replied; it was then he noticed the two suitcases sitting behind Shinn "is that your stuff?"

Shinn glanced at the bags and nodded.

"Is that it?"

"Most of the furniture belonged to the apartment, even the TV"

"You brought your belongings with you?"

"Until I find a place to stay, I have nowhere to put them. I kept them in the manor until I finished my shift"

"And that's you finished now, is it?"

"Yeah"

"You sure you have a place to stay?" Athrun dug in to his pockets to find his keys for the car that sat waiting for him only a few metres away.

"Sure…I have friends who will put me up"

There was a pause; Athrun waited, and Shinn went quiet. The night was a warm one and the moon, half its shape on this particular night, shone brightly on this side of the house. Off to the left an extra sentry could be seen standing guard, verifying Athrun's identification by licensing his car.

The older Coordinator sighed, "get in"

Shinn blinked "in to what?"

"The car" Athrun replied unlocking said vehicle and opening the driver's door "put your stuff in the boot"

"I'm not staying with you!"

"I can't leave you out on the street"

"I just told you, I have friends who can put me up!"

"Do they _know_ they're putting you up?"

"Well…I…haven't called them yet"

"I think Kira would prefer it if you stayed with me, rather than friends that can distract you from your duties as a solider"

"I don't let my friends distract me!"

"Shinn, just get in the car"

Shinn hesitated for a moment longer and then grabbed his bags with a growl "this is only temporary!" he snarled.

"Yes, it is" agreed Athrun whole-heartedly.

* * *

><p>And second chapter done with! I do hope you've enjoyed it.<p>

Please leave a review and some form of opinion.

Thanks for reading!

Kiki

Kizzes!


	3. Crawling Up The Walls

**Review Replies  
><strong>Mu's Dog: Glad you liked the moments of comedy. Thanks for the review! I hope you enjoy this chapter.

OMG-ME: Thanks for the review! Here's what happens next!

Alex Dino The Red Knight: Thanks for the review, I'm glad I got the characterization to your liking. May you continue to do so.

* * *

><p>So chapter three of the story. I hope you've enjoyed the story so far.<p>

This chapter focuses on Athrun and Shinn.

Disclaimer: I do not own Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny, nor any of its characters.

WARNINGS: Can't think of any right now.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Silver And Gold<strong>

**Chapter Three: Crawling Up The Walls**

"Take-away curry for breakfast, really?"

"I'm not much of a cook"

"You're telling me, your refrigerator has a family of mice living in it"

Athrun ignored him and continued rearranging his notes from last night's late meeting in to some formed report he could later send to Cagalli "did you sleep alright?"

"Well enough" Shinn replied grabbing a mug from a cupboard before going search for the coffee.

Athrun's place was nothing special; the front room, which held the futon Shinn had spent the night on, led to a small corridor which split off in to the kitchen, bathroom and the bedroom right at the end. Currently they were both in the kitchen, Shinn fresh from the shower and not yet in his uniform while Athrun sat at the table pouring over a laptop, and a pile of papers, still in the same clothes as the night before.

Shinn looked over his shoulder and eyed the haunted look in Athrun's face "have you been in here all night, didn't you even sleep?"

"I had some work to do"

"Like what?"

"It's Orb documentation, Shinn, it's classified"

"Sorry, I'm sure" he sighed in exasperation "dammit, where'd you keep the coffee?"

"Hmm? It's over here" Athrun held out a packet without looking from his notes "help yourself to anything else"

"Do you have anything that's not last night's take-away?" asked Shinn without much hope as he took the packet and placed it on the counter before shoving the kettle under the tap.

"Umm, I might have some bread somewhere"

Yeah, he did.

Shinn had _seen_ the bread.

"I think I'll skip breakfast" he muttered.

Waiting for the kettle to boil he wandered over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of milk, twisting off the lid he sniffed it experimentally; walking back he passed the table and paused to glance down at the papers "why are they all signed Alex Dino?"

Athrun looked up quickly and withdrew the papers from sight giving his new lodger a look of reproach, he answered nonetheless "because I'm known as Alex Dino in Orb, I don't think they'd let me in if they knew who I really was"

"So you're prepared to go along with that?"

"Sacrifices have to be made in order to gain, if the only sacrifice I have to make is to give up my name then I'm more than happy to do it"

"But what happened to letting anyone in no matter who they were?"

"I think even Orb would have difficulty with the son of Patrick Zala, especially after what happened with Junius Seven and the terrorists"

"Hypocrites" Shinn muttered returning to the kettle "why would you want to work for a country that can't even stick to its own ideals?"

"For Cagalli, for the sake of peace, for my own beliefs"

"If you're so strong in your beliefs, then why did you rejoin Zaft?"

"At the time, it seemed the right thing to do"

"And was it?"

"You of all people know how it turned out"

Shinn said nothing to this; he didn't think he'd ever forget sending a mobile suit plunging in to the water knowing it contained Athrun and Meyrin, the final cry as Athrun had been defeated and realised Shinn wasn't hearing him. Later, in his dreams, Shinn managed to convince himself he'd heard Meyrin scream too; she must have been so scared. Lunamaria had been so heartbroken.

Athrun looked up from his work "you've gone quiet, is something wrong?"

"Well of course something's wrong!" Shinn snapped irritably "the milk is off, there's nothing in the fridge except a rotting curry and what's happened to the bread I just don't know! How can you live like this!"

"I normally eat out these days, or get in a take-away" Athrun looked back at his laptop and pushed the hair from his eyes "I've been so caught up in work I haven't spent much time here"

"That's no excuse!"

"I'm sorry it displeases you"

"You were always so neat and tidy on the _Minerva_" the younger commented, this was still true for the most part. Everything was in its place, tidied away as if Athrun was planning for a trip and wanted everything neatened when he returned. It was the same in the kitchen; the fact that the bread looked ready to disintegrate at any given moment and the milk was prepared to crawl away in fear happened to be a mere detail. Shinn sighed, "I suppose someone else made you food"

"Yes…" Athrun paused in his work, fingers lightly resting on the keys "…there was always someone to cook for me…" he mused softly "no matter where I went" then he pulled himself out briskly "still, I'm perfectly healthy"

"Well I won't be if I stay here" Shinn snorted "the milk looks ready to stab me with a spoon!"

"More incentive for you to find a more permanent residence then"

"You got that right" the Zaft solider took his first sip of coffee hoping that the taste of caffeine would mask the soured milk.

It didn't.

Shinn covered his mouth feeling as if the contents of his stomach were about to rise up; he set the coffee down and gave Athrun a look of evil.

"I'm going to change in to my uniform"

"Do you know what you're doing today?"

"I haven't received my orders yet" Shinn left and turned to the bathroom where he'd left his uniform neatly folded in order to change in to it when he was ready.

Athrun stayed where he was; if he was honest with himself, he was need of a good clean and he hated to be so unkempt. And he was tired, pulling an all-nighter like this hadn't been his smartest idea; if he could just get this last piece of work done, he could finish his latest report and take the rest of the day off. The laptop blared at him with tiny words across the page in front of him and seemed to blur as one foggy line; he refocused and looked back to the last word, resetting his mind to his train of thought just as he heard the bathroom door shut.

His phone began to ring on the wall, breaking through the silence; half pleased at the interruption Athrun scrambled from his seat and padded over in his socks. Grabbing the phone he pressed it to his ear still looking at the plans he had in his hands.

"Athr- Alex Dino speaking"

"_It's me_" Kira's voice crackled down the line "_can I come up?_"

"Oh? You're here?"

"_Yes, at the front door_"

"Sure, go right ahead," replied Athrun reaching for the buzzer on his wall to unlock the front doors down three floors "it's open"

Hanging up he grabbed his plans and the other papers from the table and gathered them up; sliding them in to a folder he'd left on the kitchen top, he placed this in a drawer and placed tablemats over the top to hide them. It wasn't much of a hiding place but Kira wasn't here to spy on Orb documents, he'd lock them back in his safe later; having dealt with the papers he turned to his laptop, saving his work he shut down the program and killed the power.

Pulling the laptop free from its cable he placed it in his bag by the door and pulled the flap over to conceal it; having done this he took his coffee cup and reached for the kettle, re-boiling it and grabbing the coffee he'd been _grabbing_ all night.

His doorbell rang out and a moment later he heard Kira open the door and step inside, pausing to remove his shoes and leaving them with the others. Seconds later Kira was appearing in the kitchen, peering through the doorway to locate Athrun; in his hands he had a bag that he held out to his friend.

"For me?"

"It's your uniform, you left it behind last night"

"I completely forgot" Athrun took the bag and placed it by the door "I got distracted, talking of which" he gave Kira a speculative look "I take it by your calm demeanour that Lacus is safe and well"

"Yes" Kira smiled "there were no disturbances last night, and she's perfectly fine"

"You're ok to leave her?"

"Commander Joule is guarding her personally" Kira chuckled "even I need papers of identification before he'll let me near her"

"Has anyone been able to identify the nature of the intruder?"

"Other than a few broken twigs there was no sign of disturbance, Lunamaria came round this morning and gave me a detailed report along with a walk through replay. Whoever it was had skill enough to keep their identification a secret, I'm not sure how I feel about that…but without more information there's nothing we can do except keep Lacus safe"

"Did you tell her?"

"I told her everything"

Of course he did. Kira and Lacus were one of those annoying couples that kept no secrets and insisted on telling each other _everything_.

"Have you considered moving residence? Temporarily at least"

Kira shook his head "Lacus won't hear of it, she refuses to move"

"Is there anything I can do?"

"I can't think of anything, I seriously doubt Orb would be behind this, and even if it was you would know something about it" Kira shrugged "that doesn't mean I won't appreciate your help as a friend"

Athrun smiled "you don't even have to ask"

"I know, and I wanted to apologise" Kira took a seat at the kitchen table "I said some things last night without considering your feelings, I know you're uncomfortable about Junius Seven, and discussing your father"

"It was a reasonable theory to consider" Athrun replied, he gestured to the kettle "would you like some coffee?"

Kira hesitated "what colour is the milk?" he asked with suspiciousness.

Athrun gave it a studied look and replied, "it's almost white"

"I think I'm good actually," the Zaft Captain answered hurriedly; he'd never understood why Athrun insisted on keeping milk when he only ever had black coffee. Apparently it was for Kira, who couldn't stand coffee without milk; considerate as these sentiments were, Kira sometimes longed to point out that he wasn't going to touch milk that was starting to look solid "I came here for a reason, anyway"

"Oh?"

"You've asked for a meeting with the Chairman alone, may I ask why?"

Athrun paused; he'd seen this coming, of course "it's on behalf of Cagalli, she wished to come to the Plants personally" he replied.

Kira looked surprised "why? Isn't she busy in Orb?"

"Amazingly so" Athrun nodded "however, she has a matter which she feels cannot be dealt with a simple phone call, but I persuaded her last night that I could handle it and so she's given me permission to speak of this matter as long as it's a meeting held only with the Chairman…woman" he corrected himself.

"And what is this matter about?" asked Kira.

"Kira, it's Orb business, I'm obliged not to say"

"And the fact that Cagalli is my sister doesn't hold any weight?"

"I'm afraid not"

"You can't even give a clue?"

"No, I'll get arrested for treason" Athrun explained patiently "Kira, you're my closest friend, but I'm not getting shot on grounds of treachery just to ease your curiosity"

"Can't you tell Lacus at least?"

"Important as Lacus is in these discussions of peace, she's not the Chairman of the Plants and I have my instructions"

Kira wavered, opening his mouth and closing it again, unsure what to say next.

Athrun frowned "are we going to fight about this?" he asked.

"No" said his friend "you don't have the authority to tell, I understand" he looked up at Athrun "but the truth about your friend Nicol, and now this, it's the second secret you're keeping from me and I don't like it"

"Neither do I, but it can't be helped. The moment you take off that uniform you're wearing I'll tell you everything"

"Yes" Kira sighed lightly and floated in to his own world "I think I'd like to go back to Orb…when this is all over, I liked living by the sea with Lacus and my mother, looking after the kids. It was so peaceful" he smiled gently and remembered it fondly, then reached for something in his pocket "I almost forgot" he pulled out a pass "you wanted to go in to the public today, right? This is your pass"

"Thanks" Athrun looked down at the plastic card "I need a pass now?"

"Well you are an Orb Admiral" Kira reasoned, "you need something to give you permission to wander around the Plants"

"I wasn't planning on wearing my uniform"

"I know, but it's procedure, and you'll need a bodyguard too" Kira got up and went to the sink, grabbing a glass from the drain-board to fill it with water "I was thinking of asking Shinn"

Athrun laughed "you realise he's more likely to help any assassins, rather than stop them, right?"

"I think he's fonder of you than you appreciate" the Captain replied drinking from the glass "besides, Deputy Captain Trine has duties today as does Lunamaria, and Commander Joule and Dearka are busy protecting Lacus. I don't trust anyone else not to lose you" he looked sideways at Athrun "I get the feeling, if I put a simple solider as your bodyguard, you'll shake them off at the first opportunity"

"It's not like I actually need a bodyguard, I can look after myself perfectly fine"

"Which is why I need someone clever enough not to fall for any of your little tricks"

"Is that a challenge?"

"Athrun, I'm being serious. We're not at peace yet"

"Shinn certainly isn't, at least not with me," Athrun snorted as the bathroom door opened "speak of the devil and he shall appear"

Kira blinked as footsteps came closer and Shinn appeared in the doorway now dressed in his uniform "I'll be going now" it was then he caught sight of his Captain "oh…" hastily he stepped in to the kitchen and saluted "sir, I was just on my way to receive my orders, I hope I haven't kept you waiting" he glanced at the clock and realised he wasn't even late yet.

Captain Yamato must be here to visit Athrun.

Of course he was, Shinn thought, there was no way his Captain would have known _he_ was here.

"Um…" Kira said slowly, imagining Shinn had somehow magically guessed his new orders before Kira had been given chance to write them down "am I missing something?"

"Don't jump to conclusions" Athrun answered him, knowing what was running through Kira's head. A Shinn that could read minds was just too much of an unbearable thought for Athrun "genius over there got evicted yesterday, and had nowhere else to go"

"I did have other places to go!" replied Shinn bad temperedly "I told you, I had friends to give me a place to stay! You just didn't give me chance to phone any of them!"

"I thought it was better than to let you wander around the streets alone"

"I am perfectly capable of looking after MYSELF! I don't need _your_ help!"

"I know you are, it wasn't you I was concerned about" Athrun sighed "it was the rest of the Plants' population I was worrying about, the things you're capable of doing when you're in a bad mood can be scary"

Shinn bristled "just what are you suggesting!"

The hint of a smile touched Athrun's lips "that I've probably saved a few little old ladies from the shock that is Shinn Asuka, I don't think their weak hearts would have been able to survive"

"You've got some nerve! Now you're saying I go around scaring old ladies!"

"Oh I don't think you do it on purpose, I think you only have to breathe and you scare somebody"

"Why you! I should shoot you where you stand, you ass!"

Athrun looked sideways at Kira "still think he should be my bodyguard?"

"I'm out of options" said Kira helplessly.

"What! I'm not being his-" Shinn stopped as he realised who it was he was snarling at, biting his tongue he snapped crisply "are those my orders, Captain?"

"Yes, they are. You're to escort Athrun to wherever it is he wants to go"

Shinn clenched his teeth and his hands balled in to fists; then, he calmed himself and released a breath. He saluted "I understand, sir"

"Are you alright with him staying here? From the point of view from a Captain, I mean" Athrun asked Kira.

"I don't see why it's a problem, we are promoting peace between the Plants, the Earth Alliance and Orb after all" Kira mused, he glanced over at Shinn "I'm actually pleased it was Athrun who took you in, I would have been worried that friends would cause a distraction"

Athrun smirked "_see_"

Shinn threw him a dirty look.

"At least you have a place to live anyway" Kira added.

"This is only temporary" said Athrun and Shinn together.

The Captain of Zaft only smiled.

* * *

><p>"Would you just get on with it!" Shinn complained loudly "we've been here hours!"<p>

"You're supposed to be my bodyguard, not my commander" Athrun replied calmly as he perused through bunches of flowers sitting out in the sun on the street; the flower shop was the one he always used and the shopkeeper knew him by sight. She was waiting for him inside the shop, looking curiously at the young solider accompanying him.

"Geez, how long does it take for crying out loud!" Shinn continued as if Athrun hadn't spoken; he was in a bad mood having spent an hour waiting for Athrun to take a shower, change in to some clean clothes, send his report off to Cagalli, lock away the various Orb documents he'd had out and drink the last of his coffee.

This wasn't how Shinn had planned his morning.

He'd been thinking along the lines of training, shooting practice followed by a review on the latest updates of the Peace Treaties before taking a break for lunch and finishing his day acting guard on the property of Lacus Clyne looking out for more intruders. Playing chauffeur for Athrun Zala was NOT what he wanted to do.

"Why are we here anyway?" he asked bad temperedly "don't tell me you're sending flowers to that Athha w-"

"Cagalli is leader of Orb and my superior" Athrun interrupted warningly "I'd think very carefully before finishing that sentence"

"Why should I? It's not like you can do anything"

"She is also the very dear sister of Kira, _your_ Captain" the older added, "Kira can put up with a lot of things, but insulting his sister is not one of them" Athrun looked up "well?"

Shinn shut his mouth.

"I thought so. And in answer to your question, no, these are not for Cagalli. We are no longer engaged, our relationship is merely a professional one so I have no reason to"

"Who are they for then? Another girl on your list of admirers, I'm sure Meyrin would appreciate some, and Luna come to think of it"

"No, they're not for Meyrin or Lunamaria" Athrun picked out a small bunch of yellow flowers and looked at them "talking of Luna, I got the impression last night that you two were…no longer dating?"

Shinn shrugged "what of it?"

"You're barging all over me with personal questions, I thought I'd return the favour"

"We split up, that's all there is to it. I'm not bothered by it or anything, I'm the one who ended it"

"Why?"

"I'm not telling you!"

"Then don't ask me who these flowers are for then" Athrun straightened as he pulled up a second bunch, these ones were of blue and white "and you don't need to anyway, I understand"

"How could you understand? You don't know anything!"

"Don't I?" Athrun lifted his eyebrows and gave Shinn a level look "she got her sister back, all of a sudden she wasn't alone in the world and she's gained back everything she'd lost, unlike you…am I right? That was your thinking, wasn't it?"

Shinn didn't reply.

"Your silence speaks louder than words"

"Shut up! You're not me and you don't know anything! Yeah, so Luna got her sister back and she didn't need me anymore! I don't need you telling me that as if you can see inside my head or something! You can't go around assuming you know everything about someone!"

"I could say the same about you" Athrun replied as a shadow fell over his face, he proffered the flowers briefly "these are not for any girls" he turned then and walked in to the shop.

Shinn was silent for a moment; he felt like he'd just been hit in the face, the look in Athrun's eyes had unsettled him somewhat, he'd never seen that look before. The way Athrun had lashed back at him surprised him too; his old superior had never done anything like that before…except on one occasion. The day Shinn had taken down the Freedom and its pilot; Athrun had been angry then as well, he'd punched Shinn and sent him sprawling.

Had he made Athrun mad?

He hadn't meant to.

Not really.

He'd felt like Athrun had dragged him down a peg or two.

But Athrun didn't _do_ that.

He wasn't vindictive like that.

Now Athrun returned from the shop with the flowers correctly bunched together in a cellophane wrapper and carried in a bag; he stopped in front of Shinn with a hand shoved in his pocket. For a moment they regarded each other silently; Shinn felt like he should say something, make some kind of amendment or sign of regret. But this was Athrun, they just didn't have that relationship; Shinn's pride wouldn't let him.

Instead, he asked, "where are we going now?"

Athrun paused before speaking, looking the young Coordinator as if evaluating his demeanour simply from his stance. Seemingly satisfied with what he saw he replied, "the graveyard, I'll drive"

Then he walked passed Shinn who stood there with his back to the car.

"Oh"

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you want to stay in the car?" asked Athrun "won't Lunamaria want to see you?"<p>

"We're not together anymore, I don't have to see her every time I go near her street"

"No-"

"She's probably not even there, she's on duty today…you know, _proper_ duty"

"You mean guarding a Peace Treaty meeting?" Athrun enquired innocently.

"Shut up already!"

Sighing Athrun clambered out the car and threw the keys to Shinn "I'm trusting you, I hope you realise that"

"I'm not a joy-rider!"

"You'd better not be"

"Asshole" Shinn muttered under his breath as Athrun turned away and walked up the steps to the row of doorbells by the side of the door. Shinn watched as the older Coordinator chose one of them and pressed it experimentally; there was a moment's pause before a crackle and a voice answered, Shinn lost interest as the pair of voices conversed vaguely with each other.

Instead he looked down the street; it was a quiet street, Lunamaria had picked a good spot for her and Meyrin to live. There was little traffic down here and the graffiti was at the minimum; Shinn shuffled uncomfortably in his seat and glanced over at the driver's seat still warm from Athrun's body. It was a good car, and classy too; the Zala family must be a rich one if Athrun could afford a vehicle like this, not that Shinn had been able to tell from Athrun's place.

Maybe the Admiral of Orb was just fussy about the cars he drove.

He certainly harboured a sense of fondness for this thing.

To have given Shinn the keys must have be a vow of trust in him; Shinn lifted his eyebrows as he gazed at said keys. He could just leave right now; slide in to the driver's side, push the keys in and go. Drive anywhere. The feeling of freedom was a tempting one; maybe that's why Athrun kept the car instead of relying on the public services.

Tossing the keys in the air listlessly he sighed and stretched out his legs as far as he could; the graveyard came back in to his thoughts though he'd been trying desperately not to let it bother him. Athrun had made him stay in the car despite Shinn's protest that the graveyard was a large place with plenty of places for hit men to hide; that had not been his prime motive for wishing to attend, however, he was curious. Athrun's mother was unknown to him, as his mother was unknown to Athrun; it was a rather morbid curiosity Shinn wanted to see the grave of the woman who had given Athrun Zala life.

Athrun had spent almost an hour there, first to visit his mother and then some old Zaft members who Shinn didn't know. The older Coordinator had been very quiet when he'd returned to the car; probably, he'd felt as uncomfortable as Shinn had felt. They, as a pair, didn't discuss topics like pain and loss, they weren't that close; if Athrun wanted to open up to someone the only one he would do it with was Kira, and Shinn wasn't sure he wanted to know Athrun's demons.

They sounded a little similar to his own.

"Are you sure you don't mind?"

Meyrin's voice cut through his thoughts and he looked up; Athrun was holding the door open for her in such a gentlemanly manner it made Shinn cringe. It appeared the younger Hawke sister wasn't on duty that day; her clothes consisted of a t-shirt and jacket with a long skirt, she looked fresh and pretty under the sun and the smile of radiance warmed her features. When standing next to her sister Meyrin managed to look somewhat demur and shadowed, but standing next to Athrun she looked animated and passionate.

It was obviously to anyone who wasn't blind, thought Shinn sourly.

She was completely in love with Athrun Zala.

"The afternoon is warm, it seems a shame to waste it" Athrun replied leading her down to the car.

Meyrin followed him down the steps but stopped before she reached the bottom when she saw Shinn lounging in the front seat "Shinn?"

They hadn't seen each other since Shinn had visited to end things with Lunamaria; her sister had been so torn up on that day, and, despite the fact the pair of them seemed to have returned to the way they were before, Meyrin still wasn't sure what she felt about Shinn Asuka these days. She'd never seen her sister cry like that before, and hadn't it been Shinn who had shot her and Athrun down that day? Granted, they'd been classed as traitors, but hadn't Shinn felt anything?

Until she could be sure of these answers, she just couldn't return to the trust she'd had in him before. Not that Lunamaria knew any of this; her sister would defend Shinn to the end, and maybe she was right. But Meyrin had to see for herself first.

Meanwhile, Athrun and said Shinn had managed to get themselves in to another bickering match.

"Please remove your feet from my dashboard, you're supposed to be soldier and that leather is worth more than your life"

"I see, you rate your car higher than the life of humans, do you?"

"Not at all, I just don't want muddy footprints on my clean car"

"You're a real bastard, you know that?"

"I'm sure you'll remind me of it again before the day is out"

"You got that right"

"Too bad Kira didn't order you to be nice to me, it would have been an interesting experience"

"Yeah, well he didn't, so I won't"

"I'm curious, if I wasn't Athrun Zala, if I was some random Orb Admiral you'd never met before, would you be as rude?"

"No, I'd only be half as rude"

"You mean you'd still be rude? You really shouldn't talk to an Admiral like that"

"Well you're from Orb, aren't you?"

"Ah, still believe all Orb Council Members are liars, do you?"

"Of course"

"They're not, you know, now that Yuna Roma Seiran and his father are no longer in the picture with their Blue Cosmos views, the Council is a lot more receptive to a Coordinator's point of view, Cagalli's spent a lot of time persuading them of this"

"Ha, then they're sheep following a wolf!"

"Sheep don't follow wolves, they run away from them" Athrun pointed out sliding in to the driver's seat now that Meyrin had settled herself in the back.

"You know what I mean!"

"No, actually I don't" Athrun held out his hand and Shinn threw the keys to him "I can understand your feelings towards Orb, but at least get your proverbs right"

"I mean Princess Cagalli is filling them with a pack of lies!"

"Oh? So Coordinators aren't to be trusted then?"

"I didn't say that!"

"Then why don't you elaborate a little?"

"Why should I? You'll only mock me" said Shinn sourly as Athrun pulled out in to the traffic, glancing over his shoulder as he did so.

"On the contrary, I'm interested. Do you really think Cagalli and the Orb Council are a bunch of liars?"

"Why don't you tell me? You're the one pretending to be someone you're not, what do you think they would do if they found out you were the son of Patrick Zala?"

"I'm not sure, they'd probably want to know why I changed my name"

"See, not even you know what they'd do. For all you know they'd kill you on sight"

"No, Cagalli wouldn't let them"

"You have faith she could stop them, huh"

"I know she would, she'd talk them out of it"

"You mean the way she talked them out of joining the Earth Alliance?"

"That was different, Cagalli was lost and inexperienced, she has a purpose now and she knows what she's doing"

"I'll believe when I see it"

"Look, I'll admit Orb is on the edge of a knife at the moment, but the ideals they believe in are still strong"

"Ha! You're the lead Orb Spokesman in the Plants, you have to say that"

"It's what I believe"

"Your beliefs have been known to change"

"My allegiances may have changed" Athrun disagreed "but my beliefs have remained the same throughout, peace is the most important thing we can give this world, and we have to fight to make that peace happen. The killing has to stop"

"Is that what you said when your mother got blown to bits?"

Shinn stopped.

He'd gone too far and he knew it, they were on dangerous territory once more and that shadowed look came over Athrun's face again. For a moment there was a silence between them, thicker and darker than anything; in the back Meyrin had started and looked up in alarm, looking from Athrun to Shinn and back again. He should apologise, Shinn knew that, and he wanted to take those words back, swallowed them down as if they'd never happen.

"Of course that's not what I said" replied Athrun quietly "my mother is dead and she shouldn't be, but that doesn't mean to say I blame everyone in the Earth Alliance for her death"

Shinn didn't reply, he had nothing to say to that; it wasn't as if he blamed the whole of Orb either, in fact he felt sorry for those who had suffered like he had. He knew who to blame, and who to feel angry at; he could say this, but the words felt bent in his head and Athrun would only reply with something that was justified and right, it would only lead to more friction between them. Fighting with Athrun had always been difficult; Shinn would put forward his opinions and Athrun would reply with his, and of course it would be Athrun who would be proved right. It always was.

The silence grew too long, Meyrin leant forwards in her seat "there's a nice place just here," she told Athrun "we could sit outside"

"Yes, I know it" Athrun flicked down his indicator and pulled in off the road; switching off the engine he opened the door and climbed out. Opening the door for Meyrin he glanced over at Shinn who hadn't moved "are you coming?"

"No!"

Athrun shut the door behind Meyrin and turned to her "why don't you find us a table?" he suggested with a smile "one in the sun would be nice"

She nodded and left with a glance at Shinn; the café was only a few shops down and the outside tables were filled with people taking coffee and eating cake, all smiling and talking with each other as if the only worry in the world was if they could eat something else.

Athrun sighed and went round to Shinn's side, he opened the door and waited expectantly "I said I'm not coming!" snapped Shinn.

"Really? You're going to be this stubborn about it, I'm paying you know"

"I already have to live with you, I'm not eating with you as well!"

"You don't have to eat, you _could_ be sociable. I expect it's been a while since you and Meyrin last saw each other"

"I'm here to protect you, not eat cake and reminisce"

"You can't very well protect me if I'm over there and you're sulking in the car" Athrun pointed out, he smiled at the scowling solider "do I have to carry you?"

Shinn moved so fast he could have dodged the Freedom's attack "don't you dare!" he snarled so loudly several people looked round in distress "I swear if you even attempt anything dodgy like that I'll kill you myself!"

"That'll certainly make your report to Kira an interesting one"

"Dammit, just put a sock in it!"

Angrily Shinn turned on his heel and marched to the café, shoving passed a number of people who were rather worried to see one of their Zaft soldiers acting so rashly. Athrun only chuckled and shut the car door, locking his vehicle as he did so; following the younger Coordinator he smiled reassurance at the unsure passers-by and watched with great amusement as Shinn reached Meyrin's chosen table, grabbed a chair and pulled it back so hard he rammed it straight in to the table behind, the occupants of which all squeaked in fright.

Athrun quickened his pace, reasoning it was probably wise to calm the situation before Shinn succeeded in starting a public panic in the high street.

* * *

><p>"This is delicious" Meyrin said as she forked up another piece of chocolate cake "thank you so much!"<p>

"See, at least Meyrin knows how to say thank you"

Shinn scowled "I didn't order anything" he went back to glaring at the empty space in front of him.

"Are you really going to be in a bad mood all day?" asked Athrun with a small sigh "I know you have to be hungry"

"Well I'm not!"

"I can't believe that, you haven't eaten anything all day"

"Who would eat curry for breakfast!"

"Not you it seems"

"I told you, I'm not hungry!"

"You realise you're only cutting off your nose to spite your face"

"I'm on duty, you're not supposed to eat when you're on duty"

"True" Athrun conceded "but considering the meal you've got to look forward to tonight is probably a day old curry, look at your options"

"Wait, you're planning to eat the _same_ take-away two nights running?" said Shinn incredulously.

"I won't be in tonight" Athrun replied "at least, not until late"

"Huh?"

"Don't worry, your shift will have finished by then so you won't have to follow me about"

"Um," Meyrin looked between the two of them "you two live together?"

"It's only temporary" Shinn answered quickly "and don't you dare tell Luna!"

"But…how?"

"I had to move out of my old place!"

"Talking of moving out" Athrun intervened "I hear from Lunamaria that you're planning to request a transfer to Orb"

Under his breath Shinn muttered to himself; he'd been waiting for Athrun to make his way to this topic, the small talk about Meyrin's work as the minute-taker had been arduous to say the least.

"Yes, I am" here Meyrin blushed a little "is that alright with you?"

"I'd like to know the reasoning behind it"

"Well…I just thought I could be more useful there, Coordinators are needed there to prove that Orb can trust them, that we don't want to harm them. Zaft needs to prove once again that it's army worth believing in"

Shinn stared at her; he'd never seen her so…passionate, her eyes were alight with infatuation and excitement. Back on the _Minerva_ she'd been so quiet, always close to her sister who had protected her and coveted her; being forced on to the _Archangel_ where she only knew Athrun had prevented her from hiding behind her sister and fend for herself. That wasn't all he saw; she was in love with Athrun, so in love with him. Was she going to Orb because she wanted to more useful?

Or was she going because ultimately, when the Peace Treaties were complete, Orb would be the place he would return to?

"I can understand that" Athrun answered thinking over what she'd just said "but the job you're doing here has its own importance"

Meyrin hesitated, looking down at her plate "I know that"

"Then there has to be another reason behind your wish"

Shinn's gaze turned from Meyrin to Athrun. Did he know? Could he see the adoration in Meyrin's eyes? He was pretty sure Athrun had never noticed the crush Lunamaria had developed, and she'd hardly been delicate about it.

"Do you really want to know?" asked Meyrin quietly.

Shinn's eyes expanded to saucers.

Was she going to TELL him how she felt?"

"I thought we were friends," said Athrun "if there's another reason behind it all then I'd like to know"

_Friends_. The one word the unrequited lover hated to hear.

Shinn's eyes moved from Athrun back to Meyrin.

"It's because of you…" Meyrin whispered, she blushed and hurried on "and because of Captain Yamato, and Miss Clyne…you're all fighting for what you believe in and making a difference! And I want…I want to do the same thing" she looked at Athrun holding on to her fork shyly "you showed me there was more I could do, and I want to do what I can"

"Meyrin…" Athrun trailed slightly "but have you thought about what you'll be leaving behind?"

Another look passed between them.

Shinn was beginning to feel like he wasn't there.

"Yes, of course I have, and I know Luna doesn't want me to go" she now placed the fork down on the table "but I can't let that stop me. It's like what happened between you and Captain Yamato"

"Kira?"

"Captain Yamato didn't want you to rejoin to rejoin Zaft, right? But you had to do it because it's what you believed in, that's how I feel about this" her gaze lowered again "I can't just stay here because Luna doesn't want me to leave, it's not right"

Athrun fell silent, thinking about this as Shinn began to wonder if Athrun would notice him if he stood up on the table and did a twirl; the air was thick between them, a small bubble encased them in their own world, a world Shinn didn't feel a part of. It made him curious, what were Athrun's feelings for Meyrin?

"I understand what you're saying" the older Coordinator said at length "have you written your application yet?"

Meyrin looked up quickly "does that mean you're letting me go?"

"Meyrin, that decision is yours alone, I don't want influence you in any way. I'll support your choice no matter what that is, just as long as you take in to consideration Lunamaria's feelings. Think about everything before you make your choice"

"I will, I promise" she beamed him, seemingly feeling that she'd won his approval.

"Then that's all I care about" Athrun took a sip of his coffee and glanced at Shinn "would you care to cast comment?"

Shinn blinked "why would I care? If Meyrin wants to go to the land of hypocrites and murderers then she can"

"Just ignore him" said Athrun.

"Hey, don't ignore me! Just because you're falling for Orb's charm doesn't mean the rest of us have to!"

"And just because your family was blown up there it doesn't mean the rest of us have to abide by your prejudices"

Shinn's face darkened and he glared "that was unfair"

"I know, but you're taking it too far. Your opinions are not gospel"

"Neither are yours!"

"I have never claimed them to be"

Shinn frowned harder; Athrun had won their argument again, it was every time and he always won with those stupid crappy lecturing comments. Shinn _knew_ his opinion wasn't the be all and end all, but if Athrun was expecting him to change his thoughts and forget about had happened to his family then the older Coordinator could go to hell. So Athrun was at peace with Blue Cosmos and the men who had blown his family apart, was he? Well good for him! Shinn wasn't like that; he would never forget what had happened that day and he would never forgive the ones responsible. He'd _loved_ Orb, and Orb had let him down.

His crimson eyes narrowed as he stood from his chair; Meyrin looked up at him but Athrun made no movement, this angered Shinn further. The least the creep could do was look up at him. He pushed his chair back and turned away.

"I'm not you!"

* * *

><p>And there we go! I like writing Athrun and Shinn fighting...well, Shinn having a go at Athrun anyway.<p>

I hope you've enjoyed the chapter.

Please leave a review.

Thanks for reading!

Kiki

Kizzes!


	4. A Girl With A Secret

Who here hates raisins? Me for one, can't stand them. And yet, no matter how many times I tell my damn family, no one can seem to get it in to their heads that I don't like raisins. Even now I can smell the clear scent of a teacake. How many times have I told my mother I don't like teacakes, I don't like raisins.

Uh, sometimes I just feel like screaming.

Anyway, that's my rant for the day over with. Ahem.

Last Time: Shinn was made to be Athrun's bodygaurd which wasn't really a duty he saw as necessary. And Athrun pissed him off by being right all the time - well, wouldn't it annoy you?

Disclaimer: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny does not belong to me, nor do any of its characters.

WARNINGS: Can't really think of any. One thing, I can't remember who became Chairman after Durandal so I just made it this strange woman. If you point out to me that I'm wrong and demand I change it all you're going to get in reply is a rant about raisins. Beware, I'm in that sort of a mood, lol.

Enjoy.

* * *

><p><strong>Silver And Gold<strong>

**Chapter Four: A Girl With A Secret**

"Admiral Dino, I hope there's a good excuse for this private meeting?"

"There is, Chairman…" Athrun hesitated; did he refer to her as Chairman, or Chairwoman? In the great scheme of world peace, death and sadness and the desire to see the end of war, it might not have been that important. But people could be fussy about these types of things; tell a sweet shop owner that candy rotted the teeth and they would swear until they were blue in the face that it was merely a myth for children.

He was getting distracted by his own thoughts…and, when things considered, comparing the Chairman to a sweet shop owner, who lied about the side effects of candy, probably wasn't sensible.

He cleared his throat and bowed his head "first of all, I wanted to thank you on behalf of Orb for accepting in such short notice and agreeing to my terms, it was very gracious and willing of you"

"Not at all" she replied, "when Captain Yamato requested this meet I have to admit I was curious as to why the lead spokesman of Orb would want such a thing. We have no outstanding conflict with Orb"

"No…" again, Athrun hesitated "nor do I wish to start any between us"

"Is there a reason why you would?"

"What I'm about to tell you…will not give you the impression of the trust I have in you and in the Plants"

"You're choosing your words carefully, Mr Dino" the Chairman frowned "something is wrong, isn't it?"

"Not wrong, just unexplained"

There was a pause; momentarily the Chairman regarded him silently, sitting behind her huge desk with her hands clasped in front of her. Wordlessly she gestured for Athrun to take a seat opposite her, to which he nodded his words of thanks and took the chair waiting for him. The Chairman reached for a jug of water sitting beside her on the desk and filled two glasses, one of which she passed over to the Admiral.

"You'd better tell me what this is about"

"Before I do, I want to make it clear that Orb understands that the Plants are planning no attacks or hostilities towards Orb and as such no defensive measures are even being considered. The Princess of Orb herself as decreed this and she regrets that she can not be here in person to attend to this matter"

The Chairman lifted her eyebrows.

There was no excuse to hold back now, he couldn't prolong any further; he cleared his throat "it's about _Requiem_"

The Chairman's eyes widened in response; whatever she'd been expecting, it hadn't been that it hadn't been that "what about it?" she asked calmly.

"Over the passed few days Orb has been picking up signs of activity around the sight where _Requiem_ was placed"

The Chairman now sat forwards in her chair "what!"

"Yes, signals and indications that some party, we're not accusing the Plants, is attempting to repair it"

"But _Requiem_ was destroyed, you were one who dealt with that personally"

"I know, and I can't explain it anymore than you can, but Orb's computers are picking up these movements and we can't, as a nation, ignore the fact that the direction of _Requiem's_ blast is still directed at Orb"

The Chairman scoffed "are you suggesting that someone is trying to REBUILD that thing!"

Why else would someone tamper with a large weapon of mass destruction?

It would hardly make a good Christmas decoration.

"Orb is not trying to suggest anything, nor do we believe that the Plants have anything to do with the goings on"

"Then _why_ are you coming to me with _this_?" asked the Chairman passionately "surely you and Princess Cagalli know I want peace just as much as you!"

"We know that," replied Athrun "but again, we can't simply forget that _Requiem_ was rebuilt once before, and it was the Plants, Zaft, that did the repair"

"So you _are_ accusing me!" the Chairman rose from her chair with fury blackening her face "you come here, come to the Plants where I personally welcome you and have the audacity to accuse US of starting a third war! After all we've been through, after all the Plants have suffered and you believe we're prepared to risk what we have left-"

"Chairman" Athrun stood also, his face set "I do not believe for one moment that you or anyone on your Council have anything to do with this. I am a Coordinator, and I come from the Plants, my own mother died at _Junius Seven_ so I know what the Plants have lost and the pain we have suffered. Princess Cagalli also knows that the Plants seek for peace just like the rest of us, she personally talked down any Orb Council members who doubted otherwise. We do not believe the Plants want war, nor are we looking to start one…" he stopped and released a sigh, his chest rising "…but we do believe that you should be aware of what is happening, the Plants are not reading any signals of this but that does not mean you can sit back and let this happen. _Requiem_ and its remains are Plants' property, this is why Orb has not simply taken out to troop to deal with the situation"

The room fell silent, the only sound was the ticking of the clock hanging on the wall; the Chairman cleared her throat and sat back down in her seat heavily "you're a capable young man, Admiral, I can see why the Princess trusted you"

"Thank you" Athrun felt it prudent to keep to himself that the only reason Cagalli had known he was such a capable young man was because they'd once been engaged and had lost their virginity to each other.

It was hardly professional to mention this.

"Does this mean Zaft will send out a ship to ascertain the reasons behind this?"

"Yes, and immediately" the Chairman nodded "I'll have my most trusted men on it straightaway"

Athrun left his chair and bowed "on behalf of Orb, I thank you for your understanding and cooperation"

"May the peace of nations continue" the Chairman replied.

* * *

><p>Outside Athrun shut the door of the office behind him and leant against it with a sigh; beside him, a guard glanced his way before returning smartly to his duties. For a brief moment Athrun let his shoulders slump and he covered his eyes with his hand; that could have gone completely the other way, if he'd put one foot wrong then right now he could have been dealing with a declaration of war. He couldn't imagine how he would have told Cagalli; she'd been so worried about it, and it had taken Athrun a good hour before he'd convinced her that coming to the Plants and leaving Orb now was not the best of ideas.<p>

If war had been declared because of him…

But it hadn't. The world was still on the wobbly seat of peace and now-

Athrun stopped and pursed his lips; straitening from the door he calmly walked passed the guards and down the corridor some way, stopping just short of a pillar that towered above him to the ceilings high up. Folding his arms, he waited patiently.

Then cleared his throat.

"Are we playing hide and seek, Kira?" he asked patiently "we haven't played that since we were kids"

A brown head popped out from behind the pillar "oh…Athrun? I didn't see you there"

The face of innocence.

Athrun wasn't fooled.

"So you mean you _weren't_ hiding?"

"What? Don't be silly" Kira laughed and stepped out casually "Lacus and I were just…"

"Oh, Lacus is with you _too_? Is this some kinda perverted fantasy of yours? To have sex behind a pillar in the Plants' Supreme Council?"

Kira went bright red "what! No! No-no! That's not it at all! …I was just-"

"Hiding" finished Athrun "after pressing your ear against the door to try and hear what my private meeting with the Chairman was about"

He looked expectantly at his childhood friend.

Kira laughed merrily as Lacus stepped out from behind the pillar "hello, Athrun, how was your meeting with the Chairman?"

"It went just fine, thank you, Lacus" the Admiral lifted his eyebrows "and how much of it did you hear?"

"Not much I'm afraid" she sighed "we did try, but the door is soundproof"

"Really? That is silly. I wonder why the Chairman would think it necessary to soundproof her door. After all, it would make eavesdropping so much easier"

Kira cleared his throat and smiled "you caught us, I guess" he gave Athrun a hopeful look "I don't suppose you can tell us what it was about now?"

"Tell you about the meeting?"

"Yes"

"Inform you of the results?"

"That would be good"

"Explain the reason why I asked for such a meeting?"

"Yes, would you?"

"No"

"Athrun!"

"I'm not telling, Kira"

"Why not?"

"Because it's classified"

"What if I treated you to breakfast?" Kira beamed.

"Not even if you treated me to a hundred breakfasts" Athrun gave them both a firm look "now listen, the pair of you. I'm not telling you anything, and nothing is going to induce me to. Understand?"

Kira sighed, "I understand" he paused "what about…"

"Kira"

"Alright, I got it. You won't tell me"

Lacus came forward and clasped Athrun's hand "then please promise it's nothing that could start another war"

Athrun halted briefly; technically if _Requiem_ was being rebuilt, questions would start to rise. Who was to blame? Who wanted yet another war? He pushed these dark thoughts back "I can promise you that no declaration of war has been made"

She looked doubtful for a moment, but then released him "I see" she replied easily "well, that has settled my mind for the time being"

For the time being? What did that mean?

"In that case…" Athrun clapped Kira on the shoulder "what were you saying about breakfast?"

Kira blinked "that was only if you would tell us what happened in the meeting"

"What happened to kindness and friendship?"

"Alright, but only because I feel bad for what happened at Lacus's dinner party"

"Really, you're going to bring _that_ up?"

"Oh I'm not going to let you forget it" Kira answered with a wink and a smile as he took Lacus's arm and led the way down the corridor.

"Forget friendship" said Athrun flatly "I never want to see you again"

* * *

><p>Shinn checked his watch as he walked through from the veranda in to the building; it was two in the afternoon, from somewhere nearby he heard the bell of a church confirming this, only four more hours and he'd finish his shift. After that he planned to go to the mall with Luna; she had some shopping she wanted to do and there were some places that sold food nearby Shinn was anxious to enter.<p>

If he had to have curry again he'd scream.

He hadn't seen Athrun much since he'd spent the day with him and that had been two days ago now; he had thought that living with Athrun meant they would crash in to each other a lot and clash even more. But the number of hours Athrun actually spent in his apartment Shinn could count with his fingers; the Admiral of Orb was always off at meetings, or attending report sessions with other Orb Spokesmen, or spending time with Kira and Lacus. Athrun always seemed to be doing something even when it looked like he was doing nothing; he'd come in late at night, sneaking passed Shinn on the futon thinking he was asleep.

Not only that, but Shinn's duties and shifts changed too; this morning he'd been up and out of the apartment before four in the morning preparing himself for a twelve hour shift. He'd snuck about the place quietly, not wanting to wake Athrun up; only to discover that Athrun wasn't even in the apartment at all. He'd left a note on the kitchen table telling Shinn he'd gone for a special meeting that morning.

He always seemed to tell Shinn where he would be, the younger Coordinator had no idea why; it wasn't as if he asked to know where Athrun would be and he cared even less. But he always looked for the note on the kitchen table and as regular as clockwork it would be there waiting for him.

"Stupid bastard" Shinn muttered to himself as he checked his watch again; Lunamaria was on duty with him, currently checking the perimeters along with two regular soldiers. If she didn't have her timing all screwed up again, she should be checking in within the next two minutes.

He sighed and glanced at the passing paintings hanging on the walls; they were all of old leaders and rebels, people who had fought for peace as Lacus Clyne did. Had she put them there as inspiration? They didn't look inspiring, all were frowning and dark around the eyes and some of them didn't even wear the uniforms of Zaft. He passed through the corridor and in to another one to discover that this was lined with paintings of previous Chairmen. Shinn stopped in his tracks.

He'd started at the wrong end, with the most recent right in front of him; their current Chairman…woman stood proudly by her desk looking for all the world as if she'd rather have her teeth pulled out one by one than stand there for several hours while the artist perfected her nose. Then, after her, there was Durandal of course.

Shinn gazed at him for a moment, taking in the gentle smile and the kindly gesture towards him; it was almost as if Durandal was beckoning him in to the very picture. Shinn moved on quickly; thinking of Durandal inevitably led him to Rey, a subject he just couldn't face. He had to look at the next Chairman before realising that he already knew who it was, quickly he looked below the painting.

Even though he already knew, it was a shock to see the name _Zala_ embossed on a tiny plague beneath the painting.

He looked back at the face above and tried to see Athrun.

Clearly, Athrun took more from his mother's side of the family rather than his father's.

Unless of course Athrun would mature to look more like his father.

Shinn smirked.

Athrun was going to have a nasty shock waiting for him when he hit forty.

He moved away from the paintings and checked his watch again; as usual Lunamaria's timing to could be compared to a rattlesnake's desire to turn vegetarian and start hugging trees – meaning something weird and just not likely to happen any time soon.

For one thing, as far as Shinn was aware, rattlesnakes lived in the desert- he was about to make his way down another corridor and come out in to the front of the house, when a noise from a passing room stopped him. He waited, silently, listening for any slight indication of movement in the room; the silence went sticky like honey, and all at once Shinn felt it was too quiet. He withdrew his gun and held it upwards.

There was a shuffling on the other side of the door; Shinn burst in gun at the ready, his finger halfway to the trigger…before he was skidding to a halt and dropped his weapon from sight.

There was a pause.

"Miss Clyne" said Shinn somewhat uncomfortably "I'm sorry, I thought it might have been another intruder on to your property"

Lacus looked up from her book and lowered "oh dear, Kira really does have you all on red alert, that won't do. You must be tired after all the guarding you've been doing"

"Not at all…Miss Clyne"

"Please, Lacus is fine" she turned around and took a chair by the window before taking another look at him; Shinn wondered if this was his cue to leave, but just turning and walking away was rude even by his standards. Fortunately, Lacus spoke before he had chance to make up his mind "your name is Shinn Asuka, yes?"

"Yes…Miss- Lacus" he felt too strange referring to her by first names alone; the only ones he knew to do that at all were Athrun and Captain Yamato, even Commander Joule kept his manners around Lacus Clyne.

"I hear from Kira that you're living with Athrun now"

"Yes…Miss Lacus, Athrun was kind enough to let me stay until I can find my own place" he had difficulty with the word _kind_, but it wasn't worth his position in Zaft to inform Lacus what he really thought of Athrun Zala.

"I see" she nodded in understanding "it's strange, when you're together you only ever seem to fight and bicker, it's like you have to beat Athrun at something…almost like Yzak Joule, except that is more of a desire to win…somehow, you need to prove yourself to Athrun. Am I right?"

"Well, I-" Shinn broke off uselessly.

"Athrun gets distracted when he's around you" she continued standing from her chair "I watched the pair of you together on the night the intruder, the way you goaded each other, it was very interesting"

Shinn opened his mouth; then realised he had nothing to say that would make the slightest sense and shut it once again.

"But when you were forced together you worked great as a team" she turned to the window and looked out over the gardens, drawing aside the left curtain slightly to see it clearer "that is a good thing, but too much of a good thing can be bad…especially in these times"

"Miss Lac-"

"You must promise me something, Shinn" she turned back round to face him so swiftly her skirts whirled about her "do you swear to keep your promise no matter the cost?"

"I- uh…I'm sorry, Miss Clyne, I don't really know what you're talking about"

She smiled "call me Lacus" she repeated gently, then her smile grew serious "you have to keep this promise, Shinn. For me, and for Athrun too"

"Um…sure? I guess"

"As I said before, Athrun is distracted when you two are together" Lacus looked back out the window as if distracted by something there, and then turned her gaze back to Shinn "so you must promise me not to distract Athrun more than you already have"

Shinn was taken aback "distract?" he repeated, "I don't understand"

"Athrun will be needed very soon" she explained "Kira will need him more than he's ever needed him before, so you have to promise not to test their friendship or get between them"

"Miss Clyne, I have no intention of getting between them, nor would I want to"

"So do you promise?" she asked "do you promise not to distract Athrun anymore? I know it sounds cruel of me to ask this, and I wish I didn't have to, but Kira will need Athrun's help in so many ways, it would be easier if Athrun didn't have to worry about you also"

"Athrun doesn't worry about me, he doesn't even give a damn about me. And I don't give a damn about him" Shinn gushed quickly "I'm only living with him on a _very_ temporary basis"

Lacus looked at him carefully, then tilted her head to the side "you two are very similar in many ways, you have the same bitterness about you, a bitterness Kira does not share. And I'm sure Athrun would never wish it upon him, so please allow Athrun to be there for Kira"

"Miss-"

There was a noise, Shinn reacted so fast his gun was ready and waiting before he had time to register; there was another thump and this time the curtain hanging to the right of the huge window shuddered. Shinn raised his gun higher.

"Miss Lacus-"

"Wait, there is no need for any weapons" Lacus stepped quickly in front of him and took the end of the gun "please, you can put it down"

"But- There's someone behind the curtain!" Shinn tried to get passed her "Miss Lacus, please move aside! I have to identify the-"

"_HARO!_"

Something hit Shinn straight in the face, knocking him backwards and the gun went flying; he crashed in to a chair and fell over it, landing in a heap tangled in the seat. He wafted his arms around momentarily, trying to get his bearings and managing to crack his head against the chair leg.

A slender hand appeared at his peripheral vision "Shinn, are you alright?"

He looked up to find Lacus looking down on him "I'm fine" he garbled, he pushed himself off the chair and struggled up on to his feet "what was that?"

"_NO problem!_"

"I'm afraid it was this little guy" Lacus smiled as the pink object bounced in to her arms "I'm very sorry he knocked you over. Are you alright? You hit your head so hard I was worried for a moment"

"No, really, I'm fine" Shinn assured her as his vision blurred and one Lacus became two "I just-"

"Oh no, you're bleeding!" Lacus gasped and next thing Shinn knew she was rushing to his side, Haro bounced out of her arms once more satisfied the damage had been done and preceded to spring around the room excitedly. Shinn wished it wouldn't; the thing was making him nauseous.

"It's alright, it's just a small cut"

"No, you must go to the medic at once" Lacus replied taking his arm and leading him to the door "you might have concussion"

"I really don't think-"

"I insist"

How could he refuse that, Shinn wondered. There was also something else bothering him too. Something about that pink ball that could now be heard breaking things cheerfully even as Lacus gently coaxed Shinn out the room before returning to deal with said pink ball.

"Please go and see a doctor immediately, and remember what we talked about"

Shinn stared at the door utterly confused.

…So…had it been the Haro hiding behind the curtain all that time?

Shinn put a hand to his head to assess the damage; that thing had hit him pretty hard, he looked down at his hand to count his fingers and was alarmed to find a smear of crimson across his palm.

Maybe he did have concussion.

He wasn't feeling quite right, and there was that feeling that he'd forgotten something. He tried to run through the strange events as they'd happened. He'd been looking at paintings of the previous Chairmen, he'd heard a noise and, on investigation, found Lacus Clyne in there reading a book. Lacus had told him not to get between Athrun and Kira, though whatever she meant by that Shinn had no idea.

Then he'd heard a noise behind the curtain, a shuffling.

Next thing he was flying through the air with a Haro stuck to his face.

Shinn shook his head, still feeling he was missing something, but the pain distracted him and he clutched his head again "damn robot" he muttered "I swear, if I ever meet the guy who was insane enough to create-"

* * *

><p>Athrun looked up at the huge property and then checked his watch; whatever this was about couldn't have come at more inconvenient time, even if it was Kira who needed to see him. He clambered out of his car and shut the door as a guard walked over and saluted smartly.<p>

Pulling his identification papers out of his pocket he handed them over and waited patiently; he wondered what it was that Kira needed him for so urgently "this had better be important, Kira" he muttered to himself as he retrieved his papers and was granted access.

"Welcome to Clyne property, sir"

"Thanks, can you tell me where Captain Yamato is?"

The guard looked confused "I wasn't aware he was on the premises, sir"

"Really? He said this is where he would be"

"Did he give you a time, sir?"

"No, I was in a meeting when the message came through. All I got was that Captain Yamato needed my assistance with an important matter and I could find him at Clyne property"

"I'm sorry, sir, I really haven't seen him since he left this morning"

"I see" Athrun thought for a moment and then asked "is Lacus in?"

"She is, sir, last seen in the third sitting room"

"Thank you, I'll see if I can find her, I'm sure she knows what's going on"

"Yes, sir"

Athrun walked up the steps to the front doors pushing his papers back in to his pocket; the day was a warm one, and the windows were flung open to let as much of the sun in as possible. Athrun smiled to himself; a sniper could more than easily aim through one of those windows and fire, but Lacus would rather risk that than lose a little sunlight.

"Athrun!"

He stopped and turned "Lunamaria, on duty again?"

"You bet!" she came to a stop by his side and saluted cheekily "checking up on us again?"

"Not at all, I was actually looking for Lacus, or Kira if he's here"

"I haven't seen Captain Yamato today, it was Deputy Captain Trine that gave me my orders" she straightened the collar of her uniform as she spoke "I was just doing a round of the borders so I don't know where Miss Clyne is"

"Have there been any more sightings of anything unusual?"

"No, nothing" she shook her head "actually, do you have the time on you?"

"No, but it's not far after two"

"Really! Man, I'm missing my break" she sighed "I'd better go find Shinn first though, make sure he's stayed out of trouble"

"Do you think I could have a minute of your time before that?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"I was going to talk about it with you later, but seeing as you're on break I might as well do it now" he took her to the side near the wall and checked around for any eavesdroppers "have you talked to Meyrin about the whole Orb transfer?"

"I heard that you'd talked to her about it, but when I asked her about it she said she needed time to think things through"

"You mean she actually listened to me?" Athrun was surprised "my goodness, it's a long time since anyone did that"

Lunamaria grinned "oh, come on, we weren't that bad on the _Minerva_, were we?"

"You had your moments"

She chuckled "kept you on your toes though"

"That I don't deny" Athrun snorted as he slipped a hand in to his inside pocket "Shinn in particular" he pulled out an envelope and handed it over to her "this is for you"

"What is it?" she asked looking at it curiously.

"It's a letter of permission from me to the Orb officials" Athrun explained "Lunamaria, I know you wanted me to talk Meyrin out of going to Orb and staying in the Plants instead. But as an Orb representative I couldn't just pass up the opportunity, my main priority is Orb after all"

"I see" she smiled "don't worry, I understand. I know if you thought she couldn't do it then you would have stopped her" she held up the letter "that doesn't explain what this is for though"

"I respect what Meyrin is doing and why she is doing it, however, I also know she's not the most confident of people especially when surrounded by strangers. If you want to join her in Orb help her then that letter should get you through the security, but it doesn't tie you to any assignments"

"Really!" Lunamaria's face broke in to a smile of delight "so I wouldn't have to sign up for anything at all? I could just go there for a while to see to make sure she was ok?"

"That's right, it's the best I can do for you but I know-"

"That's amazing, Athrun!" she flung her arms around his neck "thank you so much! I don't really want to move to Orb, and Shinn needs me here though you wouldn't know it, this is perfect!"

"It is?" Athrun found himself flushing slightly; all this time, and he still couldn't handle it when a girl hugged him "I was worried it wasn't enough"

"Not at all! I can stay with her until the Peace Treaties are over and then come back to look after Shinn, this is brilliant!" she pulled away from him and held her letter to her.

"May I ask who's going to look after Shinn while you're gone?" asked Athrun with a feeling of apprehension because he had a sneaking suspicion she knew whom she had in mind.

"You of course" Lunamaria beamed at him "I know you won't let Shinn go wild"

"Of course" said Athrun, he gave her a look "you know he's staying with me, don't you?"

"Naturally, Meyrin told me"

"It's only temporary" Athrun added hastily.

"I know that, but that doesn't mean you'll stop looking out for him" she gave him a wink "you're too nice for that"

"Trust me, I wish I wasn't"

"Don't you dare go changing" Lunamaria warned him "and if Meyrin and I do go to Orb, then Shinn can have my place, that would suit you two better right?"

"DAMN RIGHT IT WOULD!"

"I wonder why Shinn always appears when I'm talking about him" Athrun mused casually as he turned around to greet said thunderstorm that was approaching like a lorry in fifth gear.

"Shinn, where have you been? We're on break- what happened to your head?" Lunamaria asked as she caught sight of the plaster splattered across the side of Shinn skull "did something happen?"

A manic grin spread across Shinn's face "I'm glad you asked me that, Luna" the smile vanished and he glared at Athrun, sourly he pointed at his head "go on!" he challenged "ask me what happened! I'm sure you're dying to know!"

"I don't think I'm that desperate" Athrun commented, then caught the snarl at the back of Shinn's throat and decided to play along "alright, what happened?"

"You! THAT'S what happened! YOU!"

"Shinn, I think I would have noticed if I'd struck you about the face"

"Oh you didn't do it, you got your little TOY to do it! Didn't you!"

"I really don't know-"

"HARO! That's what I'm talking about! That stupid pink ball that bounces around after Miss Clyne like a Christmas bauble after its tree!"

"Haro attacked you?" Athrun blinked "that's not like him, not at all"

"YOU DID IT! I know you did! You programmed that thing, no, MADE that thing to attack me, didn't you!"

"Shinn, when I created Haro, I did it to give Lacus some company. I can assure you I didn't make Haro because in the future I would want him to attack you, I'm not a fortune teller"

"I bet you are, you bastard! Every time! Everything starts attacking me when you're around!"

"That's not true, usually you manage to anger things all by yourself"

"The toaster blew up in my face only this morning!"

"What's that got to do with me?"

"It was YOUR toaster!"

"It's old" Athrun reasoned, "I don't use it much"

"That's no excuse! You-"

Lunamaria began to laugh.

Shinn glared at her "what's so funny!" he demanded.

"You!" she snickered "only you could get attacked by a pink ball"

"It's not funny!"

"Ha-ha, yes it is!"

Shinn snarled furiously, then pointed a threatening finger at Athrun "don't you DARE laugh!"

"Me?" asked Athrun innocently, he blinked and lifted his eyebrows "so, Haro managed to defeat you, did he?"

"NO! I saw him coming!"

"Of course you did" Athrun _smiled_.

"SIR! ADMIRAL DINO!"

The fear in Arthur Trine's voice stopped the humour in the room and as one the trio span on their feet as he ran to them "what is it?" asked Athrun.

"It's Miss Clyne! She's gone!"

* * *

><p>Shinn stood before the table feeling lost and very small in the large dining room of the Clyne property; it was a room that was rarely used, as Lacus preferred to eat her meals in the kitchen, but now it was filled with people. Soldiers who were passing notes to each other, investigators reporting to their superiors and a forensic team that was painstakingly making its way through the entire building room by room.<p>

But Shinn ignored all these people; the ones he was more interested in were his immediate superiors. Yzak was pacing backwards and forwards on the other side of the table, while behind him Dearka stood silently by the wall waiting for orders. Arthur Trine was stood by the wall too, along with Lunamaria who watched the scene worriedly occasionally glancing at Shinn as she did so. But even they only had half of Shinn's attention as he lifted up his gaze to look at the person seated across from him.

Kira was a mess, his clothes were torn from searching through the grounds desperately in looking along with the investigators, scratches covered his hands and face and his hair was pulled to one side. But the look in his eyes, the shrouded darkness in his face…it was unnerving, and it was directed at Shinn.

"How could you be so stupid!" snapped Yzak coming to an abrupt halt and swinging round to glare at Shinn "wasn't it perfectly obvious someone was hiding behind the curtain! Why didn't you go and see for yourself!"

This had been going on for the last half hour, for the two and a half hours before that Shinn had been sitting in the entrance hall awaiting to be questioned. Yzak Joule had been the one to call him, he'd also been the one doing most of the shouting, though Deputy Captain Trine had helped in that department also. But Kira Yamato hadn't said a word.

"She told me it was fine, and then Haro burst out of nowhere…sir" replied Shinn for what seemed to be the hundredth time. So far he'd told Deputy Captain Trine, Captain Yamato, Lunamaria and several other investigators and detectives.

Yzak shrugged "Haro?"

"It's the little pink robot that follows Miss Clyne about" Dearka supplied "though you'll have probably heard it referred as the ball from hell…it keeps jumping out on the sentries when they're on patrol"

"And where is it now?" asked Yzak, he looked at Arthur.

"Currently in a box waiting for evidence" Arthur replied, "it was found in pieces at the scene"

Yzak looked back at Shinn "was that your doing?"

"No, sir, it was in good shape when I left"

"You mean when you left Miss Clyne to whatever fate these kidnappers have planned for her?" Yzak's voice was colder than ice, he stared Shinn down until the younger mobile suit pilot was forced to look away. Then he snarled "if you hadn't already given in your FAITH badge, you'd be losing it now! I hope you realise _that_!"

"Yes, sir"

"Have you got any other bits of information to give to us, soldier? Did the sun blind your eyes perhaps? Or maybe someone spiked your drink this morning and you were feeling drowsy?" he looked at Shinn expectantly.

Shinn couldn't decide if the question was rhetorical or not.

"Well?" demanded Yzak.

"No, I've nothing else to say"

"But there has to be something!" Yzak reasoned callously "because I'm failing to understand how a _mobile suit_ pilot was defeated by a pink robotic ball designed to entertain the whims of a young lady! Are you SERIOUSLY telling me that you-"

There was a knock on the door.

The whole room fell silent, even the forensic investigators paused.

There was another pause, and then the door opened.

"Kira, can I talk with you for a moment?" Athrun asked his hand still on the door as he stepped in the room.

Kira's eyes lifted from the table and for the first time he spoke "I'm a little busy now, Athrun"

"It's quite important"

"I'm sorry, it'll have to wait a while"

"Kira"

A look passed between them.

The young Captain sighed; he turned to the various officers, forensic investigators and other Zaft members "would you please excuse us for a while? Deputy Captain Trine, Lunamaria and Shinn, I would request that you stayed"

Athrun moved away from the door as soldiers saluted and began to withdraw, some of them nodding to Athrun in respect as they left; only Yzak stayed stubbornly behind, giving Dearka a warning look so his subordinate was forced to stay too. The door shut behind them and Kira's eyes stayed on Athrun who walked further in to the room until he came to Shinn's side.

Yzak meanwhile had marched angrily around the table, he glared in to Athrun's face "what the hell are you doing here! This is Zaft business! You are not a part of it!"

"Exactly" Athrun replied, "which is why I took the liberty of doing my own investigation on behalf of Orb"

"You WHAT!"

"This is Zaft business, Athrun" Kira answered, "Zaft were the ones left in charge to protect Lacus"

"But the _kidnapping_ of Lacus effects us all" Athrun shot back "she is after all the go-between of the Peace Treaties"

"Still-"

"Stop acting as though this isn't affecting us personally" the Admiral of Orb interrupted "I care about Lacus too" he gave Kira a hard look.

"Surely you not going to put up with this!" Yzak spat at Kira gesturing at Athrun as though he was something moth-eaten and not quite dead "he's not Zaft!"

"True" Kira agreed "but if he found anything new then we can't simply ignore it"

"This isn't Shinn's fault" said Athrun.

The whole room stared at him, even Shinn.

"What! You are of course _joking_!" Yzak sneered "HE'S the one that walked out of the there leaving Miss Clyne with a KIDNAPPER in the room!"

"That's why you're here," asked Kira calmly "to defend Shinn?"

Athrun nodded "I am"

"Athrun, there's clear evidence that someone was hiding behind that curtain"

"I'm not saying he didn't leave Lacus in there alone, I'm just saying this isn't his fault"

"Of course" scoffed Yzak almost laughing, "because that makes perfect sense" he lifted his eyebrows "just like it wasn't your father's fault that Genesis fired"

Athrun glared at him but made no comment; that was meant to hurt and he wasn't about to let Yzak win this round. He ignored his former comrade and looked back at his friend "have you heard Shinn's side of things?"

"Of course" Kira answered, his voice was still slow and deliberate, it felt like an explosion was forthcoming but no one knew when it would strike "I gave him a fair chance like I would with anyone"

"No, I mean _really_ listened to it" Athrun came forward passed Yzak and leant on the table in front of Kira "Haro _attacked_ Shinn, you can see the evidence of that on the side of Shinn's head. He was attacked, Kira. When did Haro start attacking people like that? Do you think you can explain that to me?"

"Haro is known to get a little boisterous sometimes, it's not the first time someone has been bounced on"

"But Haro's never actually hurt anyone, right?" Athrun pointed out "he wasn't designed to attack anyone, I should know"

"What's your point in this, Athrun?" Kira asked with a sigh, the only sign of impatience he would give.

"Kira, Haro was designed to obey Lacus's wishes, whatever they may be. That means, if she wished, she could use Haro to distract a soldier while someone hid behind the curtain"

"You're saying Lacus wanted Haro to attack Shinn? But that implies that Lacus knew someone was behind the curtain"

"Of course she did" Athrun answered "you really think someone could hide behind the curtain without Haro finding them out? That thing can sense a human coming from eleven feet away"

"Wait a minute!"

Athrun was dragged from the table and pulled round to find himself, yet again, staring in to Yzak's growling face.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying! That she knew her attacker was there and didn't do anything about it!"

"Maybe she was threatened with a gun?" suggested Arthur from the sidelines.

Athrun shook his head "Shinn's a lot of things, but he's good with a gun. Any gunmen would have stood no chance against him and Lacus knew that, even if she was threatened with a gun she would have given Shinn some signal and Shinn would have taken the man down"

Kira gasped and stood from his table "are you telling you think Lacus was protecting the person standing behind that curtain?"

"More than that" replied his friend slowly "I'm saying she went with her kidnapper willingly"

There was silence.

"I know it's a little out of the box thinking" Athrun added.

"It's more than a little out of the box" Kira replied shadows shrouding his face again "you're saying that Lacus knew she was being kidnapped, and she went of her own accord"

"There's no sign of a struggle" Athrun elaborated "nothing to reveal that Lacus was forced in any way"

"I'm not sure I can believe that," said Kira staring at Athrun "Lacus wouldn't leave without saying _something_ to me first, she would have explained it all"

"Maybe she has her reasons for not telling you"

"Such as?"

"I don't know, Kira" the Orb Spokesman sighed and then glanced back at mobile suit pilot who was still stood before the table staring back at him "all I know is, none of this is Shinn's fault"

* * *

><p>Aww, Athrun's sticking up for Shinn. Adorable. You know, I actually find it kinda difficult to write an angry and confused Kira - it's been a while since I saw the show and from what I can remember Kira is a very calm character with a sensible head on his shoulders. I don't remember him being quick to blame anyone if something bad happened - he didn't even blame Athrun for killed Tolle (sp?). So if anyone has any pointers, please feel free to tell me cause some help on this would be good.<p>

Anyway, that's another chapter over and done with. This will be my third update today!

I do hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review.

Thanks for reading!

Kiki

Kizzes!


	5. The Devil Hath No Name

**Review Replies  
><strong>Golden Eyes: Thank you very much for your review! I'm very happy you like the story and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Just ME: Hey, thanks for the review! Yup, we're gonna have Kira and Athrun friendship moments, I love their relationship too!

* * *

><p>And so here I am with another update. Pretty quick after my last update I reckon.<p>

So, last time: This story finally gained some plot! Lacus had been kidnapped, by who we don't know. And though Shinn is in trouble for letting her get kidnapped Athrun doesn't believe it's all that simple.

Disclaimer: I do not own MSGSD, nor any of its characters.

WARNINGS: None, unless you count bad grammar which I know can get in the way sometimes. I am learning.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Silver And Gold <strong>

**Chapter Five: The Devil Hath No Name**

The clock ticked on in the morning light, each second flicking by as the silence in the small kitchen lengthened and stretched out in to more stodgy quiet; from the table Athrun glanced up from his computer to the speechless young Coordinator currently making himself coffee and cutting the soft loaf of bread that had been freshly bought the night before.

The kettle switched itself off as it reached the boil; Shinn filled his mug before adding fresh milk, also bought the night before, and turning to lean against the kitchen to sip at his steaming drink.

Athrun tapped a few more words watching as they appeared on the screen, and then gave up.

"You're angry about something" he guessed.

"What gave you that idea?" asked Shinn coolly still taking sips from his coffee as he spoke.

"You haven't said one word to me since we left Lacus's place"

"I've nothing to say"

Athrun lifted his eyebrows "that makes a change, normally it's difficult to keep you quiet. What happened to all the rude comments and jibes I'm punished with every morning?"

"I got bored of them"

"Really? I quite enjoyed them"

"That's why I got bored of them"

"Ahh, I see" Athrun nodded in understanding.

Shinn scoffed "no you don't! You don't _see_ anything!"

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

Shinn opened his mouth and then stopped, he slumped back and shrugged "nothing, just forget about it"

"Why?"

"Because it's not important!"

"Why?"

"Because you wouldn't understand!"

"W-"

"If you say _why_ again I'll throw this coffee at you!" Shinn snapped proffering said coffee and slopping half of it over the side of the mug.

Gasping, as scolding liquid dribbled over his skin, he slammed it back down on the side and reached for the towel, gripping it tight and drying his hands all the while cursing under his breath. He glanced back at Athrun expecting to find him still watching and was annoyed to find that his companion had returned his interest back to his laptop; Shinn cursed again and threw Athrun a dirty look, it was his fault Shinn had thrown the coffee in the first place.

"Don't worry about me whatever you do, it's only boiling liquid after all"

"Shinn, you've survived much worse than a slight burn to the fingers, and you hated it when I worried about you"

"That doesn't mean you have to stop," said Shinn mulishly "you're supposed to be a superior officer after all, it's your duty to worry about people beneath you"

"First of all, I am not _your_ superior anymore. And second, you can't tell me not to worry and then expect me to anyway, it doesn't work like that"

"It would if I was Yamato"

Athrun looked up surprised at the mention of Kira "that's different" he replied "Kira and I have been friends for the most of our lives. You and I don't even like each other, remember?"

"If we don't like each other then what am I doing in your kitchen?"

"You mean apart from burning a hole in my ear?"

Shinn glared at him but Athrun paid him no heed as he carried on with his work, preparing notes for Cagalli about the latest circumstances; there was another silence during which Shinn retrieved his coffee to glower at it. The noise of the clock returned once more and Shinn wondered if it was better to wash his clothes or something. _Anything_ to make a noise: so he wouldn't have to address the question drilling itself in to his skull.

_Tick_.

The coffee steam rose gently in to Shinn's face as he mulled over it.

_Tick_.

Athrun's fingers drifted over the keys as he worked, seemingly oblivious to Shinn.

_Tick_.

There the question was, floating behind Shinn's eyes, just begging to be asked.

_Tick_.

Shinn wanted to rip that damn clock off the wall and stamp on it.

_Tick_.

Hadn't Athrun ever heard of digital?

_Tick_.

What did he need a clock on the wall for anyway?

_Tick_.

He had time on his laptop, a watch around his wrist and an alarm set up to alert him of any meetings.

_Tick_.

He didn't NEED that stupid clock!

_Tick_.

Shinn couldn't take much more: he wanted to kick something.

_Tick-_ "why did you defend me?" Shinn asked abruptly; it was the last thing in the world he wanted to know, but if he didn't speak now then he'd destroy something, and the first thing on his list was that clock. Besides, it might be the last question he wanted to ask, but it had been haunting him ever since Athrun had knocked on the door and interrupted them. That had been yesterday, since then the question had been lodged in Shinn's thoughts as he'd tried to sleep, eat or do anything that required any part of his brain to pay attention.

Athrun looked up from his laptop "about time, I thought you'd never ask"

Shinn's face darkened "if you knew that, why didn't you just explain in the first place!"

"Because you would have told me to shut up and that you didn't want to know"

Athrun had him there.

"Well!" he demanded, "why did you stick up for me?"

"As I said at the time, it wasn't your fault"

"You don't know that!"

"I do. Lacus went of her own free will and would have gone whether you were there or not"

"You don't know that either! There's no evidence to prove it happened like that!"

"And there's no evidence to prove it _didn't_ happen like that" Athrun pointed out.

"That doesn't give you the right to barge in to a Zaft meeting like you own the place and announce your opinion as the one and only truth!"

"If I hadn't then you would have been in a pretty sticky situation right about now"

"So what! You're not Zaft, you had no right to get involved in any of it!"

"You mean you didn't want me to stick up for you?"

"Actually I wish you hadn't done it" Shinn glared at him "I don't need you guarding me like I'm some little puppy trying to play on the road"

Athrun lifted his eyebrows "that's not actually a bad analogy for you" he commented.

"Would you pay attention here? I don't need your protection and I sure as hell didn't want it yesterday! Now everyone is going to think that I'm weak and I need someone who USED to be my commander to look out for me"

"Shinn, Lacus Clyne, the go-between in world wide Peace negotiations, has gone missing without trace. Don't take this the wrong way, but I doubt anyone has given you a second thought"

"That's not the point! I looked after myself just fine before I met you and I can do the same thing now, I don't need you lording it over me all the time!"

"You really don't know how to say thank you, do you?"

"I don't WANT to say thank you! All you did was make things worse for me, now Commander Joule and Captain Yamato are going-"

"The only thing Kira will be doing right now is pacing backwards and forwards waiting for the any updates on the whereabouts of Lacus" Athrun interrupted "Yzak will be doing the same thing, they're probably in the same room making grooves in the floor. You haven't lost anything, Shinn, except a lot of trouble. Be grateful"

Shinn laughed, "you actually want me to be _grateful_? Are you serious!"

"Be grateful or keep quiet" Athrun replied "I'm good with either, believe it or not my prime motivation for interrupting a Zaft meeting like that was not to save your ass. Kira needed to know that Lacus had gone of her own accord"

"I don't see how that would change anything, she's still gone whether she was taken by force or not"

"On the contrary, it changes all" Athrun returned to his work "it means that Lacus has known all along that someone was after her, it means that she has a reason for leaving…and it also means that the Peace Treaties aren't going as well as they appeared"

Shinn stopped and his eyes widened "doesn't someone kidnapping Miss Clyne mean the opposite, that they were going well? That's _why_ she was kidnapped"

"Maybe, my point is that someone out there has a reason to start another war. Whether Lacus went of her own accord or not, the fact remains that she's gone…which is going to spell disaster for the Peace Meetings"

"You can't seriously be suggesting that someone wants to start a THIRD war! Come on, that's just stupid!"

"Then what do you think has happen, oh great one who knows all and sees everything?"

Shinn's eyes narrowed; Athrun smiled in what had to be called a cheeky way and finished up his work, he shut his laptop down before sitting back in his chair with a sigh. Now that the report was sent off to Cagalli, he could return to-

"I suppose you'll be heading back to Captain Yamato's side then" said Shinn aloofly "that's where you were all night, right?"

"You have a problem with that?"

"Damn right I got a problem! You're not Zaft!"

"All the more reason for me to be there" Athrun replied standing up "although, in all honesty, I'm not staying at Kira's side for Orb's sake" he grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair "but if Orb is shown for making an effort in locating Lacus then it proves all innocence to those wishing to blame someone"

"Except you're not doing anything except giving words of encouragement every time Captain Yamato looks ready to collapse"

"Would you rather Kira did collapse?" asked Athrun. He looked down at his uniform and inspected it momentarily, in search of bits of dirt or stains that might have appeared in the last half hour.

They hadn't.

"Would you quite brushing yourself down like that!" Shinn snapped, "it's not dirty! It just as clean as it was five minutes ago!"

"Shinn, please don't take your bad temper out on me. It's not my fault you were told to go home and wait for your next orders" Athrun answered sedately ignoring his former subordinate and brushing the lapel with his fingers "in fact it's probably thanks to me that you actually have any orders to wait for"

Shinn bristled "what was that! How dare you! I owe you nothing!"

Athrun looked up again his temper souring somewhat rapidly; there was only so much he could put up with and only so much his pride could handle, he was reaching his limit "I don't expect any gratitude from you, nor do I want it" he replied in a harder voice "but the least you could do is not snarl at me in my own apartment"

He turned away.

Shinn scowled down at the floor; again, the feeling that he should say something rose up in him. This was Athrun's place after all, and Athrun reserved the right to kick him out at any given time; except that he hadn't, even after all the bickering and the debating they'd done Athrun still hadn't seen fit to tell Shinn where to go. So it was Shinn's duty to say something, anything-

But he never got the chance.

The phone rang at the same moment Shinn lifted his head to speak; the younger Coordinator's mouth snapped shut as Athrun turned to the wall and, not bothering to pick up the receiver, hit the speaker button instead.

"Orb Admiral Alex Dino speaking"

The line crackled for a moment and then an official voice came through.

"_This is a formal request that Admiral Dino and Mobile Suit Pilot Shinn Asuka report as soon as possible to bay forty-two in preparation of the emergency departure of the Eternal_"

Both Athrun and Shinn froze in their tracks.

"I'll be there" Athrun replied hanging up.

He turned back around to Shinn.

"Are you coming?"

* * *

><p>Kira stood by the <em>Eternal<em> gazing at it and biting his lip; over to his left Yzak stood checking things off on a list as various officers reported to him with their relevant pieces of information. On the bridge Arthur was sorting out the computer side of things, preparing the engines for take off and gathering the data he needed; even as Kira stood there Meyrin dashed passed quickly, barely pausing to salute as she sailed passed.

"We've got Shinn Asuka, Lunamaria Hawke, Dearka, you and myself as mobile suit pilots which makes five" Yzak told him as he appeared at Kira's side "the supplies are nearly complete and-"

"Athrun will be coming too, so it'll be six" the Freedom pilot interrupted.

Yzak stopped his reading "what? But he's not Zaft"

"He's coming" Kira repeated.

Yzak opened his mouth and then shrugged "if you say so" he replied before returning to his list "if the supplies keep it up then we should be ready to go in the next hour"

"What?" Kira started and turned his head "but we haven't got a Captain"

Yzak blinked "what are you then? Decoration?" he retuned to his list wandering off as Dearka appeared from the ship and came down to him with a clipboard in his hand.

Kira looked up at the ship and realised for the first time that they were all expecting him to be the Captain; he couldn't understand why, he wasn't any good at ordering a ship about. He was a pilot, _the_ pilot of the Freedom. It was all he really knew.

"Man, I wish Miss Ramius was here"

"Would I do instead?"

Kira turned and with some relief found Athrun standing by his side "sorry, I didn't know you had arrived"

"We just came now" Athrun replied, he gestured somewhat vaguely behind him at an unseen somebody.

Blinking Kira peered round Athrun and found Shinn standing there unusually quiet and subdued in his uniform; he saluted awkwardly when he realised Kira could see him and cleared his throat "I…uh-"

"I'm glad you're here, Shinn" Kira cut him off with a smile "the help you can give will be irreplaceable"

"Does that mean he's forgiven?" asked Athrun when Shinn sputtered again "did you take in to account what I said?"

"I did" Kira answered.

"So am I forgiven?"

"What for?"

"For barging in to your Zaft meeting and taking charge of my own investigation"

"As far as I'm concerned, you never did anything wrong" Kira said, there was a hiss behind him "although, I'm afraid I can't speak for others" he added apologetically.

As one Athrun and Shinn turned their heads.

The glare Yzak gave Athrun was one of pure venom.

"Maybe I should wear a bullet proof vest on board ship" Athrun mumbled meekly.

"A full bodied metal armour might suit better" Kira chuckled, he cast a glance at Shinn "you should go and find your quarters, we'll be taking off soon"

Shinn saluted again "sir" he grabbed the bag he'd placed down at his feet and headed off up to the ship just as Lunamaria appeared in the entrance, waving down to greet him.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" Kira asked quietly.

"Of course"

Kira led the way to the side of the ship where the business of preparation was less apparent and it was quieter; he looked up for a moment at the ship still waiting for him and sighed softly. Had it been foolish of him to hope he wouldn't have to board it again?

Probably.

He turned his attention back to Athrun "I wanted to explain to you why you're here"

"You mean there's an actual reason?" Athrun was surprised "I just assumed you'd come up with some excuse because you knew I wanted to come"

"That's what I was going to do" Kira affirmed "I was my way to see the Chairman when she called for me" he glanced around to make sure they were still alone "I don't know if you've heard, but the reason the _Eternal_ is moving is because there are reports of a ship leaving dock without permission. They think the ship is being taken by the same people who kidnapped Lacus"

"Makes sense" Athrun reasoned "what's that got to do with me?"

"Athrun, the destination of the ship is Orb"

Athrun's eyes widened "what? That's impossible! You don't think-"

"Of course I don't think Orb has anything to do with this" Kira overrode him "neither does the Chairman, but she wants you on this mission…she seems to think it's related to the topic you two discussed in your private meeting"

"I see…" Athrun frowned, trying to make the connection between the fleeing ship and the repairs of _Requiem_ "would it be possible for me to see the flight plan predicted for the missing ship?"

"Yes, I've been given permission to show anything you want" Kira shrugged "the Chairman seems to really trust you, and she says she knows Orb will do everything in its power to help"

"At least I've achieved something" Athrun sighed as he thought, "so is Orb the destination of this ship?"

"It is"

"And how many people know that the ship we're looking for is going to Orb?"

"Not many, the Chairman wants to keep this as quiet as possible"

"Ok, I understand" the Orb Admiral looked at the ship "we'd better get aboard then, I want to see that flight plan" he glanced back at Kira when he spotted his friend hesitating "what's wrong?"

"They want me to be Captain" said Kira gazing at the ship.

"Is that a problem?"

"No…not really. It's just…this is so important and I've never Captained a ship before, I'm not sure…"

Athrun smiled "you'll be just fine. With Yzak advising you on tactics and Arthur Trine in charge of the bridge, you'll hardly have to do anything"

"But it'll be me making the final decisions" Kira replied, "if we attack it'll be on my orders"

"It might not come to that" a hand fell on to Kira's shoulder "the only thing we can do right now is follow that ship, whether it has Lacus on it or not it shouldn't be leaving like this" Athrun gave Kira a studied look "how are you doing anyway?"

"Hmm?" Kira looked at him confused "I'm doing just fine, why?"

"Kira, this is _Lacus_ we're chasing after. Don't pretend she means nothing to you"

The young Captain's shoulders dropped; he floundered for words and then sighed heavily again "if we can just get her back, I'll be fine. We need to get her back no matter what"

"I don't think you'll be the only thinking that" Athrun made their eyes meet "I'm here, ok?"

Kira nodded smiling weakly "you've no idea how grateful I am for that"

* * *

><p>"<em>Can I come in?<em>"

Athrun looked up from the flight plans he'd been pouring over ever since they'd lifted off an hour ago; they were roaring through space now, sending out signals in search for any attackers or strange unexplained objects. So far, there'd be nothing. Athrun had quickly settled himself in the quarters he was sharing with Kira and taking advantage of the solitude to look between the flight plans and the reports Cagalli had sent to him regarding the repairs to _Requiem_.

Slipping the Orb documents back in to their files he locked them away before hitting the speaker button "sure, come in"

The door slid to the side and Shinn stepped in closing the door behind tugging at the collar of his uniform that was, for once, buttoned to the neck. Clearly Yzak had been badgering him again.

"So my ears aren't deceiving me" Athrun sat back in his chair "this is a surprise, I thought I'd never see you once we were on board"

Shinn glared at the floor "Luna says I have to come and thank you for letting me stay at your place…thought I don't understand how she knew at all"

"That was Meyrin, not me" Athrun folded the flight plans away as he spoke "but I think we both know you're about as grateful as fish out of water"

Obstinately Shinn bowed his head "it was very kind of you"

"Shinn, you don't need to bow to me"

"Commander Joule says I should treat you with more respect"

"Yzak said that?" now Athrun lifted his eyebrows "is the world coming to an end?"

Shinn sighed and folded his arms sulkily "just take the gratitude and respect, dammit! I don't need your crappy comments!"

"Fair point" Athrun pushed back his chair "you needn't have bothered though, I wasn't asking for your thanks, I said so before"

"I'm only here because Luna told me to" Shinn answered loudly stubborn "if I had my way I'd be in the hold readjusting the configurations on the Destiny"

"Which is exactly where you should be" Athrun agreed "I hadn't realised they'd fixed it"

"It took a while" Shinn's eyes narrowed "both the Destiny and the Impulse were wrecks" he glared accusingly at Athrun who cleared his throat.

"Guilty as charged" he smiled in amusement as he gathered up the flight plans "talking of configurations, I should probably take a look at the Justice" he turned to his visitor "would you care to join me?"

"Like I'd walk through the ship with YOU!"

"As expected" Athrun sighed lightly and made his way to the door "you'll have to leave before me, it's not wise for me to leave you in the Captain's quarters"

The younger pilot didn't move.

"Shinn?"

When he still didn't a response, Athrun turned; Shinn was standing still, his back pointedly towards the Admiral who paused for a moment before speaking again. The silence between them was one he knew well.

"Was there something else you wanted to ask?" he enquired quietly, he saw Shinn shift and his jaw twitch as he had to stop himself from looking over his shoulder at Athrun.

Then Athrun suddenly had a premonition, but by that time it was too late.

"Why are we going to Orb?" asked Shinn abruptly.

Athrun hesitated "I'm afraid I can't tell you that, it's a question you'll have to put to Kira"

"I'm asking you" Shinn whirled around his eyes hardened with anger "and I'll ask again, why are we going to Orb?"

"You can ask as many times as you like, Shinn, I don't have the authority-"

"You're an Admiral of Orb! If there's anyone on this ship with the _authority_ to tell me then it's you!" now Shinn glared again "I don't understand, and I want you to tell me!"

Athrun sighed and released his hold on the door as he turned back "I can understand why you wouldn't want to go to Orb, I know it's a difficult place for you. And, if things go better than planned, there's a chance we won't even need to land in Orb"

"What things?" Shinn demanded, "what's going on? Is Orb up to something?"

"If Orb was up to something then do you really think I'd be allowed on this ship at all?"

"Don't answer my question with another question!" Shinn shouted, "I want to know why this ship is heading for Orb!"

"I'm sorry, Shinn, I can't tell you"  
>Shinn's eyes narrowed "you mean you won't!" he hissed, "you're all talk, you know that! Always going on at me to behave, obey my orders, giving me lectures on what I should believe and how I shouldn't influence others! But I ask you one simple question and the only thing you bang on about is how you don't have the authority! You just expect me to 'yes sir' and not question anything when that's what you do all the damn time! You always question everything, it's the only thing you EVER do!" he clenched his teeth "well I'm done with you, and all your high minded opinions! As soon as we get back to the Plants, I'm moving out! I'd rather live on the streets!"<p>

He marched passed Athrun who almost let him pass, until he changed his mind and caught him by the shoulder.

"Shinn, wait a-"

"No way! I don't even know why I bothered to come here in the first place!" he gave a hollow laugh and tore his shoulder away "as if I stupid enough to think you'd actually give me a straight answer-"

"The ship holding Lacus is going to Orb," said Athrun taking Shinn by the shoulder again and twisting him round "that's the reason we're going to Orb"

Shinn stared at him "but why?"

"That's something I'd like to know too"

"You mean you don't know?" Shinn struggled to loosen Athrun's grip but the Admiral held on tight.

"Orb is not a part of this, at least Cagalli and the Council aren't. When I contacted Cagalli to tell her she was as shocked as the rest of us, currently Orb is exercising a ban to all ships preparing to land in Orb" Athrun released his hand and withdrew it "now I've told much more than you needed to know, I'd appreciate it if you kept the information to yourself" he gave Shinn a hard look.

"Whatever" mumbled the younger pilot still stunned by the news; he looked down at the floor trying to think as questions surged on him all at once. Then he lifted his head to look back at Athrun "how do you know Orb is the destination of the other ship?"

"There is reason we have all this technology"

"But maybe it's a trick"

"That's a point you'll have to make to Yzak" then Athrun changed his mind "on second thoughts, don't bother. If he doesn't know about it then he'll want to know how you know"

"How many people know?"

"One too many" Athrun replied "I shouldn't have told you"

"Not my problem"

"It will be if you don't keep your mouth shut" warned the older "you're already in trouble enough, don't make it worse for yourself"

"I could cause problems for you too, couldn't I?"

"Yes" Athrun admitted "but I'm more than capable of looking after myself"

"Could have fooled me" Shinn muttered "you can't even feed yourself properly" he was more than a little irritated to find Athrun smiling "it's not funny, it's a miracle you haven't poisoned yourself"

"I thought you didn't care about me"

"I don't, but it would be one of hell of a form I'd have to fill in if I found you dead"

"But you're moving out, remember. The chances of you being the one to find me are small"

"Ha, it would just be my luck"

"Really, you're that unlucky?"

"I got landed with you as a superior, didn't I?"

"Wow, I'm really that bad? I guess having Kira as your superior is such a relief"

"Like you wouldn't believe"

Athrun chuckled again "I really must ask Kira what his secret is" he lifted his eyebrows "didn't I have any redeeming qualities?"

Shinn pulled a face and heaved a heavy sigh "you weren't that bad at planning, I suppose"

"Thank goodness for that, if we'd kept to your strategies we'd have been blown up five minutes in" said Athrun rather amused, his humour only increased when Shinn scowled at him.

The younger Coordinator opened his mouth to speak but as so many times before he was interrupted by an external event that took Athrun's attention from him; this time, it was the opening of the door to reveal Kira who stepped in to the room.

"There you are" the Captain let Torii fly from his shoulder and sweep around the room "I was looking-" he stopped in his tracks when he realised his friend wasn't alone "Shinn, is something wrong?"

"No, Captain" Shinn saluted "I was just leaving"

"Actually, seeing as you're here, there's something I wanted to tell you" Kira paused and glanced at Athrun before continuing hesitantly "it's about the reason we're heading for Orb, you probably want to know why and I know it's privileged information but I feel it's better to alert the crew-"

"I already know" said Shinn abruptly.

Kira was taken aback "you do? How is that possible?"

"Athrun just told me"

"What?"

Shinn saluted shortly "if you excuse me, Captain, I have some reconfiguration on the Destiny to complete" he walked from the room without another word, leaving the two friends watching him silently.

Athrun paused, and then looked sideways at Kira to find his friend staring at him "you told Shinn?"  
>"I know, I shouldn't have done" Athrun replied softly "I'm sorry"<p>

"But, Athrun…" Kira looked for the right words "that was classified information"

"Classified information that you're planning to reveal to the whole ship apparently"

"That doesn't mean _you_ can go around telling anyone, I told you in confidence"

Athrun wanted to ignore the twinge of guilt but he made the mistake of looking back at Kira and lost any battle he might have prepared "I'm sorry" he said again "really, but I know Shinn's past and I know how much Orb bothers him. I just wanted…"  
>"I know" Kira answered "that's the same reason I was going to tell him…I was just surprised, that's all. It's not like you to reveal classified information so easily"<p>

"Yeah, I know" Athrun leant back against the wall as he thought about it; Shinn had always had the knack of getting under his skin, he was used to that "…I guess I would feel the same if Junius Seven was still around"

"I suppose" Kira conceded "though, if I'm honest, I'm surprised he went to you about it"

"I'm an Admiral of Orb, it would make sense that I would know why we're going to Orb in the first place. I don't expect Shinn's the only one asking why, Orb is a nation who promotes peace and I doubt anyone thinks it had something to with Lacus's kidnapping"

"No, a lot of people have been asking" Kira agreed, "that's why I plan to tell them what we know, there doesn't seem much point in hiding it"

"I think you're right" Athrun nodded gazing in to space "Orb has nothing to hide, it's blocked any ships from docking for at least the next twenty-four hours"

"Talking of which, I presume the _Eternal_ will be the exception of that"

"Of course, I contacted Cagalli as soon as we left the plants, she's waiting for our arrival personally, we'll have an armed guard waiting for us. They'll want to search the ship before anyone is allowed off naturally, but this is all for nothing if we catch the ship first"

"Yzak has been looking in to that" Kira held out his hand as Torii returned to him "he says the only way to cut them off would be to somehow manipulate their course, but how we can do that I just don't know yet"

"I don't think cutting them off is a good idea," replied Athrun "Yzak's going to disagree with me, but it's just what I feel"

"Really? Why?" Kira sat down on his bed "surely you'd prefer it if they didn't reach Orb"

"Yes, I would. But if I were choosing between the lesser of two evils, then letting them reach their destination would be the one I'd want. At least if they arrive in Orb there's an entire military force waiting to stop whatever plans they have…whereas, we're just one ship and, as skilled as we are, there's really only so much damage we can stop by ourselves"

"Athrun, do you know something?" Kira looked over at him as the Admiral moved from the wall to seat on his own bed opposite Kira's.

Athrun sighed and looked up at Kira, he paused for a moment but decided to press forwards nevertheless "there's something I should tell you. I haven't received permission to, but I can't see Cagalli objecting if it means you're forewarned"

"Forewarned about what?"

Athrun looked over at the flight plans he'd left aside "have you taken a look at those?" he asked.

Kira glanced over and nodded "Yzak and I examined them, he's still pouring over them. Why?"

"Have you noticed the flight path the stolen ship is taking, the one we're following?"

Kira thought and then shrugged "it's not the most direct route to Orb" he replied "but it's nothing I wouldn't expect from an enemy"

"But have you noticed the flight path takes them right passed the remains of _Requiem_?"

"Yes, but that information is useless to us, _Requiem_ was destroyed"

"That's what I have to tell you…" Athrun said slowly "you know the private meeting I had with the Chairman, the one I wouldn't discuss with you?"

"How could I forget? I bought you a three course breakfast and you still didn't tell me what it was about"

"It was about _Requiem_"

Kira stared at him "why?" he asked in a sharper voice "what's wrong with _Requiem_?"  
>"In the passed few days, Orb has been picking up signals that there's activity around <em>Requiem<em>, activities that suggest _Requiem_ is currently in a state of repair"

"Wait! Someone is-"

"That was what my meeting with the Chairman was about, I wanted to tell her without inflicting blame. Fortunately, she agreed with me and believed that Orb knows the Plants aren't involved"

"Was that why she sent out a ship?" asked Kira "a scout ship?"

"Yes, unluckily I didn't get a chance to know the outcome of the mission, we were called to the _Eternal_ before I could contact the Chairman" Athrun began to fiddle with his right hand pocket convinced it felt a shade heavier than it should have done.

"I didn't hear anything either, I didn't even know why the ship had been sent out" Kira mused as Athrun discovered something waiting in his pocket "if Orb is right and _Requiem_ is being rebuilt, that can only mean trouble. When did Orb start receiving the signals?"

Athrun delved a hand in to his pocket puzzled, trying to think what on earth it was; then his fingers touched the object lightly and the whole sequence of memories came flooding back. He'd forgotten to do something, he realised; cursing mildly he withdrew his hand and made a plan to rectify the situation as soon as possible, it was then he realised Kira had spoken "three days ago" he answered briskly standing up as he did so "though it was a signal picked by accident so there's no way of knowing if the repairs started three days ago or earlier"

"And you're sure _Requiem_ is being repaired, it's not being moved or something?"

"The only ones who have permission to move _Requiem_ are the Plants, and the Chairman had no idea that anything was happening. Other than to rebuild it, I don't see why anyone would bother it"

"You think it's guarded?"

"Yes, I do. But by what I don't know, that's why I think we should let the ship reach Orb. At least we'll know what we're dealing with"

* * *

><p>Shinn couldn't believe it. His brain had blocked the idea from his mind in complete incredulity; it couldn't have happened, not like this. He would never have done it. But the recall to the ship had been so sudden, one moment he was in Athrun's kitchen and the next he was boarding the <em>Eternal<em>; he'd packed so quickly all he'd done was shove a whole load of clothes in his bag, he hadn't thought about it at all. He'd merely assumed that it was where it always was, in his pocket.

But when he'd slipped his hand in to his pocket his heart had almost stopped; his pocket was empty, no matter how many times he'd searched it. He'd searched through his other pockets, turned back and retraced his steps to locate it. But it wasn't there; he'd searched his bags in fruitless hope, but like all situations that happen to us all, he knew the truth before the end.

He'd left his sister's phone behind.

Even as he thought about it now, he knew where it was; on the arm of the futon waiting for him to pick it back up, he'd only put it there temporarily – a ploy to make sure he _didn't_ forget it. He was still in shock; he'd barely heard a word Lunamaria had said as they'd eaten together, and the reconfiguration of the Destiny had gone by in a haze. He felt lost, empty, _naked_ even. He'd never gone anywhere without that phone, not since that day: that day that burned marks in to his chest whenever he thought about it…even after all this time.

What would he do now? What would he look at before launching his mobile suit? What would he do when he reached his hand under his pillow, to feel it there, only to realise it was waiting for him back in the Plants. What if someone broke in to Athrun's apartment? Granted, any thief wouldn't look twice at an old pink phone, even Shinn knew that. But what if they broke it while looking for other treasures?

Shinn couldn't bare it, he wouldn't; he wanted to run on to the bridge and turn this whole ship around. He didn't care if they threw him in the cells, so long as they let him return to the Plants to get what he'd forgotten.

He was heading down the corridor, walking to his quarters; Lunamaria had wanted to carry out some target practice with him, but Shinn had made some excuse about needing some rest. She'd noticed something was wrong, but Shinn had brushed her off and left before she could ask anymore.

But what was he going to do now? What would he do when he reached his bed?

But the bigger question was something far more frightening.

Something that made Shinn's stomach twist in to knots.

It was a question he couldn't stand to think.

And yet…

There it lurked in the back of his mind…

What was he going to do…what was he going to do when he reached Orb without his sister's phone? How would he survive?

Shinn shook his head hard as he turned in to the corridor leading to his rooms; he didn't want to think about it, the thought made him want to be sick. And he couldn't stand it; his head was screaming at him and he didn't know what to do.

He stopped in his tracks when his door opened before he'd even reached it; he watched in breathless silence as Athrun stepped out and shut the door behind him. Shinn was frozen to the spot; he wanted to turn and walk the other way, but there was no time, it was too late. Athrun had seen him.

The Orb Admiral paused briefly, then turned to Shinn and stood there face to face; Shinn stared at him, he didn't know what to do, he couldn't think of anything to say. He _needed_ something; anything to bluff away his wide-eyed stare, something to distract Athrun from his pale face and expression of horror.

However, it was Athrun who spoke first "you've got the rooms to yourself it seems, you're not sharing with anyone?"

Shinn glared, too harshly maybe "no, I'm not sharing with anyone. Why?"

"No reason" Athrun shrugged "I just thought you'd have a…friend to share with"

"He's dead, remember" great, another bad memory to hurt Shinn. He didn't need this.

He didn't need Athrun Zala.

"Of course" Athrun nodded quietly, he walked passed Shinn, moving slowly as if thinking and then a few steps away he stopped again "just so you know for sure…" he said in the same quiet voice "it wasn't Kira who killed Rey…it was Rey's choice to…stay behind with the people he considered his family"

Shinn swallowed, his back to Athrun "I know that already!" he snapped, he didn't want to think about anything painful. Not _now_.

"As long as you do" Athrun replied "I wouldn't want you to think that Kira-"

"Just stop talking about it!" Shinn whirled around, half expecting Athrun to look at him. When the Admiral didn't he spat "Captain Yamato didn't kill Rey, I get it! Your friend's conscience is clean and I don't blame him! Got it?"

"Sure"

"Good, so stop trying to make me _like_ Yamato! It's annoying!"

"Of course…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you"

Shinn took a step back; this calm almost sad Athrun wasn't what he was used to. Where were the frivolous comments that twisted Shinn up like nobody's business and made him retaliate? Athrun didn't accept Shinn shouting at him like this and then apologise. That wasn't how it went "whatever!"

Shinn turned away again, marching to his door and pressing the button savagely; he walked in to the room not bothering to see if Athrun had walked away, he shut the door behind him and stayed in the dark for a moment, breathing hard. Athrun Zala! Damn Athrun Zala! It was ALWAYS damn Athrun Zala!

Whenever Shinn didn't need to think about anything painful Athrun Zala was always there to wind him up and remember the things he didn't need to remember. It wasn't fair! Why didn't that guy just know when to stop? Shinn didn't NEED his condescending superior opinions, and he sure as hell didn't need Athrun Zala defending the actions of Captain Yamato and naming them innocent.

Athrun got his best friend back, good for him. Why didn't he just spend his days with his _best friend_ and leave Shinn alone? Angrily Shinn turned to the switch and shoved it on; the lights flickered on and lit up his room with clear detail. But he didn't want light, he wanted dark; he was tired, and he wanted to sleep. He pulled at the collar of his uniform and faced his bed-

He halted, rooted to the spot his fingers still gripping the clasp of his collar; he couldn't move, and he was convinced his heart had stopped. It couldn't be true. This wasn't possible. All at once he could move; shakily he rushed to the bed and gripped the pillow hard to make sure he hadn't fallen asleep on his feet and dreamt the whole thing.

No.

It was there.

Lying quietly on his pillow as if it had never left: his sister's phone.

"Mayu…" he whispered swiping the thing up in his hand and cradling it gently.

But how- Athrun had been in his room; he'd been coming out as Shinn had been walking down the corridor. It could be the only answer; Athrun wasn't a part of Zaft so he wasn't obligated to inspect the rooms for any reason, and Shinn had been living with Athrun. But that couldn't be right. Athrun didn't know about his sister's phone…did he? Shinn _had_ left it behind on the futon, right? He hadn't imagined all of this?

No, he'd left it behind alright. He knew he had.

And Athrun had brought it back to him.

Next moment Shinn was running from his room, dashing back down the corridor and turning in to a larger one, pushing passed a random soldier who shouted after him indignantly. Shinn ignored him and whirled round another corner only to crash headfirst in to the very person he was looking for.

"HEY!

Athrun managed to maintain his balance, though the surprise of suddenly being propelled forwards and shouted at by some unknown being rendered him speechless for a moment. He turned round ready to berate whoever it was and was more than taken aback when he found Shinn standing there panting as if he'd been running for miles "Shinn, what-"

He saw the pink phone clutched tightly in Shinn's hand.

Shinn looked at him, eyes wide with shock and hanging to Mayu's phone so hard the phone would surely break under the pressure. He had no idea what to say, but all he could think about was how he'd almost lost Mayu altogether. He had to speak now, before it was too late.

And then lights went out, and the ship's engines died.

* * *

><p>I know, the chances of Shinn leaving his sister's phone behind are about as likely as me winning the worldwide contest for the smartest person, either way I thought it was a good way for Athrun and Shinn to clashbond. And don't forget this is a fanfiction after all, the world is my oyster!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I was going to have Shinn have a go at Athrun about something else entirely but it grew way too complicated and I figured he'd have problem enough with the fact that they were heading to Orb.

You know, I'm starting to think it's actually sad how much thought I've put in to this. If only I'd put this much effort in to my exams. I passed all my exams anyway, but if I'd actually bothered to study I might have passed with flying colours. Never mind.

Please leave a review.

Thanks for reading!

Kiki

Kizzes!


	6. Lost In Space

**Review Replies  
><strong>One Hot Babe For Athrun: Thanks a lot for your review! I'm happy you liked the whole Athrun/Shinn Phone part. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Lucky: Thanks for the review! I'm trying hard to keep the characters in character so it's nice to know I'm doing well. Please say if you start thinking I'm doing it wrong.

* * *

><p>So here I am with a new chapter EXACTLY a month after I last updated. Yeah, I know I'm probably the only person who thinks that's cool, I'm lame like that.<p>

Last Time: They'd gone after Lacus. Shinn had forgotten his phone and Athrun hadn't. The lights and power had died.

Disclaimer: I do not own Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny, nor any of its chacters.

WARNINGS: Grammar. A couple of you have mentioned it, and I hope it doesn't take away the enjoyment of the story. There probably will be the odd grammar mistake: I'm pratically self taught and still learning. TRUST ME, I used to be so much worse. Can't think of any other warnings, if they're there just skip a few lines.

Anyway, chapter six. I wouldn't say this was great progress in the relationship between Athrun and Shinn. At the moment they just butt heads a lot. Blame me for that, I like angsty relationships. Still I hope you like the chapter anyway.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Silver And Gold <strong>

**Chapter Six: Lost In Space**

"Nothing works, absolutely NOTHING works!" fumed Yzak, he whirled on Arthur Trine "how the hell could this happen?" he demanded, "a ship just doesn't stop working randomly!"

"It seems that another signal has been sent out to kill our signals" Arthur explained, the slight shaking of his voice could have been put down to the complete and utter shock that his entire bridge had stopped working. It actually had more to do with the fact that Yzak's glare was colder than the ice of winter "think of it as a machine that sends out a signal stronger than ours, this signal then overrides ours and effectively cuts them out"

"It's like an external power button" Athrun explained as he came through on to the darkened bridge; the generators and emergency reserves hadn't kicked in completely so the only light were the low floor lights that dully illuminated their feet "someone has flicked a switch to turn off the ship"

"And how do you know some much about it?" asked Yzak savagely.

"I've made one before, not to this scale obviously"

"What the hell would you need one for?"

"Well…it was back when I was engaged to Lacus" Athrun answered not quite meeting Kira's eye "sometimes the Haros were…a little too much"

"Are you talking about the day the Haros died?" asked Kira interestedly "Lacus told me about it, on one day you went to see her the Haros just dropped and they didn't regain life until you left, she was so disappointed because she wanted you to see how much she loved them"

"Ahh…" said Athrun slowly still not giving Kira his full gaze "yes, I remember that day…that would be a fine example of the device, I seemed to remember it worked very effectively"

"Weren't you worried you'd killed them forever?"

"Not really, if the worst came to the worst, I'd simply have made Lacus a new one"

"DON'T YOU THINK WE'RE GETTING A LITTLE OFF POINT HERE!" Yzak shrieked as Dearka snickered behind him "we are in the middle of space with no power after all!"

"Oh yes, sorry" Kira turned back to the subject in hand "have the battery power sources booted up yet?"

"Not quite, Captain" Arthur replied "they're in need of a little charging it seems, it's not often they're used so-"

"That is hardly the point!" Yzak snarled hotly "those emergency reserves should have been fully charged in any case!" he glared at Kira accusingly "you should have checked that personally!"

"I-" began Kira, but Athrun put a hand on his shoulder and cut him off; at this moment in time, there was just no reasoning with Yzak Joule.

"Our main concern is making sure this isn't an attack" the Orb Admiral pointed out "we should get our radios back up as soon as possible, never mind the engines for now"

Yzak turned on him "and who said YOU could give the orders around here?"

"That wasn't an order, it was a matter of opinion" said Athrun smoothly "but you know I'm right"

"What we need to do is to get the weapons back in to use" Yzak replied "we can't defend ourselves from enemies with no weapons"

"And we can't use our weapons if we don't have our frequencies to tell us where the enemies are"

"I agree with Athrun" Kira answered before Yzak could make comment "we can't do anything blind. Deputy Captain Trine, how long will it be before the emergency power is fully operable?"

"It'll be hours before we can get the engines to work again" Arthur replied "but the weapons and radio signals should be back up long before then"

"I think we should do as Athrun says and concentrate the power on the frequencies" Kira ordered "make sure the radios are working as soon as possible. After all, there might not be any enemies out there, but we need to be sure"

"So you want us to sit here unprotected, just waiting to be puppy food, do you?" asked Yzak trying to keep his sarcasm to the bare minimal.

"No, not at all" Kira shook his head "from what I've gathered, the hold runs on a separate circuit which is already running. That means we can use our mobile suits to keep an eye out"

"Ahh, good idea" Arthur agreed, "it should keep us safe for a while"

"It doesn't take a genius to figure that out" muttered Yzak.

Kira continued as if no interruption had been made "Dearka, you and Athrun, along with Shinn and Lunamaria go and guard the ship. I'll go too-"

He suddenly caught Athrun shaking his head slightly in the dim light.

Ah, Captains shouldn't leave the ship unless of dire emergency.

"If the situation calls for it" Kira amended feeling slightly out of place. He was a mobile suit pilot at heart; if there was fighting he wanted to be at Athrun's side battling. Still, he was the Captain "Yzak, you and I will consider any tactical plans"

"And what about the ship that's getting away?" asked Yzak "you know, the one that has Miss Clyne, it is the reason we're out here" he gave Kira a callous look which lacked respect and housed a lot of scepticism. Clearly he was having doubts over Kira's leadership skills.

Kira hesitated.

Athrun gave Yzak a warning look; the silver haired Commander looked stubborn for a moment, but, with a glance at Athrun, backed down "we can't do anything about that right now" Athrun told him "with no radios or signals we have no way of knowing if they changed their course and even if we did, we have no means of following them. We can only leave that in the hands of Orb now"

"Then we'll do as Captain Yamato suggested" Yzak acknowledged.

* * *

><p>Shinn walked in to the changing rooms and stopped in his tracks; Athrun turned from his locker already fully dressed in his mobile suit garb, Shinn blinked just as Athrun gave him the once over.<p>

"You're not ready?" asked the Admiral.

"Ready for what?" Shinn returned, "are we going in to battle?"

"No, not necessarily, but didn't Meyrin explain the situation over the-" then Athrun realised "she would have done had the intercom been working" he shut his locker door and stowed away the key.

"Are we going somewhere?" Shinn enquired.

"Yes, as our systems are down we have no idea if there's anyone out there so Kira has asked that we pilots take up positions to keep guard until everything is working again"

"Are we under attack? I thought the world was at peace"

"It is, Shinn, but please remember that someone has kidnapped Lacus Clyne. They might see this as an opportunity to attack the ship"

"Wouldn't they just get away as fast as possible?"

"That's possible too" Athrun admitted, he gave a coy smile "I'm sure if that's what you think then Kira won't mind if we stay here and wait to see who's right"

Shinn glowered at him "I'll be ready in ten minutes" he said shortly.

"Better make it five" the older replied "Kira wants us out there as quickly as possible"

He walked to the door mind still on the configurations of the Justice; not all of them had been fully completed, and a couple of the programming systems were unchecked. Not that he expected any problems; the Justice had suffered no inward damage in its last battle, only the outer layers of metal had been affected. That brought his mind back to _Requiem_; surely there wasn't anyone in the world who wanted to remake that thing, Blue Cosmos had been vanquished, as had every other leading organization seeking war. There was no one left save those who desperately prayed for peace-

"Hey"

Athrun stopped just short of the door and looked over his shoulder "yes?"

Shinn opened his mouth and sputtered, then lowered his gaze awkwardly and flushed; Athrun blinked in expectation as the silence, known oh so well between them, drew on with a rising sense of unspoken words. Shinn cleared his throat and lifted his head again, seemingly determined "it's about-"

The door opened in front of Athrun and Dearka's head popped through "what are you two doing lazing about? Get a move on, we're in a hurry here!"

"Dearka, you are in absolutely no position to give me orders"

"That doesn't change the fact that I'm out here waiting and ready, while you're in there not ready and _chatting_"

"I'm ready" Athrun looked back at Shinn "was it important? What you were going to say I mean"

Shinn stopped, and then shook his head "no, it's nothing. I'll get ready"

"Don't forget your ID" Dearka advised "Yzak's just caught me without mine, nearly had my entire head off"

Athrun sighed and turned back; going to his locker he pulled out his key, unlocking the door he glanced sideways at Shinn who stood next him very quietly pulling out his stuff "you sure it wasn't nothing important?" asked the Admiral softly.

"Hmm?" Shinn paused and glanced back "no, forget it. I'll be there in a minute"

"If you're sure" Athrun grabbed his ID and relocked the door.

He waved said ID at Dearka and together they left, leaving Shinn to gather together his stuff; outside in the corridor the electricity was powering up and the lights were flickering back on one by one.

"Finally" muttered Dearka "I thought I'd seen the last of light"

"It's cut the intercom too" Athrun answered, "a lot of people don't know what's going on. Deputy Captain Trine's tried to tell as many as he can, but there's not enough time to go around everyone. Talking of which, does Lunamaria know her orders?"

"She's the one in the tiny pink mini skirt, right? The sexy sassy one?"

Athrun gave no comment but nodded.

"I passed her and told her the news, she should be there already"

"Good-"

"Hey!"

Dearka and Athrun stopped as Yzak turned a corner and came face to face with them "yeah-yeah, we're getting there" Dearka sighed "quite ushering"

"Captain Yamato wants this to happen as soon as possible, you're dawdling!" Yzak snapped.

"The only reason I'm not down there already is because you told me to go and get my ID"

"On that subject" Yzak looked at Athrun expectantly "I assume you're not stupid enough to forget it"

"I thought we were in a hurry" Athrun didn't bother mentioning that the only reason he had it at all was because Dearka had forewarned him.

"Nevertheless" Yzak held out his hand.

Patiently Athrun held it out.

"It's got a dirty mark on it!"

"Yzak, in the scheme of world peace and the threat of a third war, is a dirty mark really that important?"

"The mark is covering your face! You can't tell who it is!"

"But you know who I am" Athrun pointed out.

"Clean it!" Yzak ordered "I want it spotless by the time you get down there, yours too" he directed at Dearka "though knowing you, your ID probably looks like a dog attacked it"

"Robot bird actually" Dearka replied meekly.

* * *

><p>"Athrun!"<p>

The Admiral turned to find Kira coming to him "I thought you were on the bridge"

"I am, I should be" Kira replied breathlessly "but I wanted to catch you before you left"

"Is something wrong?"

"I wanted to ask you if you would take command over the mobile suits when you're out there" the young Captain said "I know Yzak will probably have a go at me for this, but someone needs to be in control out there and there's no way of contacting you from the actual ship so- why are you smiling?"

"It's nothing" Athrun fought the smile of amusement, he couldn't _wait_ to see the look of disgust on Shinn's face "that's fine, Kira. We'll stay out there for two hours and then I'll have someone return with a report, does that sound ok?"

"Yeah, thanks" Kira nodded "hopefully we'll have lines open by then, but maybe not. According to the mechanics the lines between the mobile suits themselves should be open and unharmed"

"Of course, it's all under control. You should probably head back to the bridge"

Kira nodded again and turned to leave "before I do" he looked back "thanks for sticking up for me before, I know Yzak's a little mistrusting of my abilities as a Captain so I appreciated you stepping in for me"

"Yzak trusts you, Kira, and he believes in the same things you do" Athrun replied "just give it time, he'll come to respect you as a Captain"

"Do you think? I don't really know what I'm doing round about now"

"Of course I do" Athrun smiled "you'll make a great Captain, Kira, you just need a little experience"

"I think you would make the better Captain between us, you are an Admiral after all"

"In this situation you're being the best Captain you could be, trust yourself a little. It's not like you to be so doubting"

"I know…" Kira trailed suddenly looking very lost and unsure, it was gone in a flash however "I know now isn't the time, but could we talk?"

Athrun nodded "any time you want" he promised "I'll be back later, once the power is working"

"Good luck" Kira turned to leave again only to nearly walk to Shinn "I'm sorry"

"It's fine, Captain" Shinn saluted "I'm ready to launch whenever"

"Good, by the way-"

Over Kira's shoulder Shinn spotted Athrun suddenly smiling, he grew very suspicious.

"-I hope it's alright, I've asked Athrun to be in charge of you after you've launched" Kira continued oblivious to the smiling behind him "would you tell the others?"

"Y-Yes, Captain" Shinn managed, his eye twitched but he maintained a pretence of composure until Kira had disappeared from sight with a last nod to Athrun. Then the younger Coordinator whirled round "what the hell!"

Athrun's smile grew; he couldn't seem to keep it down "just like old times, huh"

"No! This is nothing like old times! You are not my superior, you can't be! We're not even part of the same organization! How the hell can Commander Joule let this happen!"

"I'm sure Yzak will raise all his issues with Kira's decision once he finds out. Until then, you'd better go to your mobile suit"

"You can't order me about until after we've launched, those were Captain Yamato's direct orders!" Shinn reminded him savagely "and even then I can retain the right to ignore them because you're not a part of Zaft!"

"Oh how I've missed our little banters"

"You bastard, I can't believe this!" Shinn raged on "you're enjoying every moment of this, aren't you!"

"Shinn, Lacus has been kidnapped by an unknown enemy whose motive we don't know yet" Athrun replied seriously all traces of humour dropping from his face "we don't have time to enjoy anything"

"And for that reason alone I am not taking this any further! But only on that reason, as soon as the power is back up I'm going straight to Captain Yamato to tell him what a big mistake he's making allowing an indecisive arrogant bastard to take charge of us!"

"Right, you're going to tell Kira, my closest friend, that I'm an arrogant bastard, are you?" Athrun turned solemnly and placed a hand lightly on Shinn's shoulder "good luck with that"

Shinn bared his teeth and tore away "I knew it!" he snarled "every minute, you're loving every damn minute!" he stormed off fuming, raising fist at a mechanic who had the effrontery to be standing in his way.

Athrun watched him go with a sigh "I just hope he listens to me out there" he turned to the mechanic who stood waiting for him "I'm good to go, when you're ready"

"We'll be launching you with light signals, sir. They used in cases of emergency like this one"

"Right, I understand"

Looking up at the Justice he paused, taking in the crisp outline of the huge majestic machine; it had been a while since he'd fought in it, over a year in fact. Was he really going out there to fight again? After all that effort they'd put in to promote the peace and the world they wished for. Was it all for nothing?

"One way to find out"

* * *

><p>"<em>Hey, Athrun?<em>"

"_Yes, Dearka?_"

"_Can I be the one to tell Yzak that Kira put you in charge of us out here? Please?_"

"_Don't you have other important things to be thinking about?_"

"_We've been sitting out here for an hour and a half and here's been nothing, I'm focussed as the next guy but give me a little entertainment_"

"_And you think watching Yzak's expression when he finds out I'm in charge is entertainment, do you?_"

"_Ohh yeah!_"

Shinn listened on barely paying attention to the sounds of their voices or the content of their conversation; they had indeed been out here for an hour and a half, during which the _Eternal_ had made two attempts to contact them to check if lines were working. Both times had crackled and failed, but the radios between the suits seemed to be working just fine. He vaguely heard Lunamaria give Athrun her latest report of no action and snorted.

She of course was over the moon that Athrun had been put in charge again, and the irony of the situation had not passed her by either; it had been a good thirty seconds for her to stop laughing when Shinn had informed her, and another ten minutes before she would stop teasing him about it. But she was right, however, Shinn couldn't seem able to rid himself of Athrun Zala and now that self same bastard had done something for him that Shinn could never forget.

He felt in his pocket for his sister's phone, to reassure himself that it was still there; the relief he felt was overwhelming, but every time he touched that object he was forced to remember why it was here at all.

Athrun.

Shinn couldn't get it out of his head, it had been plaguing him since he'd launched; he had tried to thank Athrun, honestly he'd tried, but as always outstanding events had cut him off and in the end he just felt too awkward to really try. It wasn't as if he and Athrun were the best of pals; that was Captain Yamato's job and Athrun didn't look like he was seeking a replacement any time soon. He didn't even want to be Athrun's friend anyway. The thought made him laugh.

Still, he couldn't believe that Athrun had been the one to save Shinn from prolonged inner turmoil; he hadn't even known Athrun had any knowledge about Mayu's phone, it was hardly something Shinn bragged about. And why hadn't Athrun made any comment? Why hadn't he just handed the phone over to Shinn when he'd first got the chance, in front of a crowd of people? Why had he gone secretly to Shinn's room to place the phone there? Sure, Shinn would have hated him for passing the phone over in public, but that wasn't something Athrun knew…was it?

But then again Athrun had that knack, didn't he? He always seemed to know when to be tactful when it came to others; his skill in that department was quite unnerving to Shinn who barely knew how to be polite in the best of occasions, let alone be sensitive over something delicate. Maybe that was Captain Yamato's doing, he thought; Shinn wondered about those two, almost marvelling at the close bond between them. They'd been through two wars, each time on different sides; they'd tried to kill each other, sought revenge on each other and clashed over their opinions. And yet, after all that, Kira Yamato was the only one who knew Athrun so completely.

Shinn lifted his eyebrows at the thought; Athrun was a lucky guy, Shinn didn't think he had anyone who knew him that completely and with who he felt so utterly comfortable talking with. Lunamaria came close sometimes, but she had her family, her sister had been returned to her; she didn't know pain the way Shinn did. No one knew the pain he knew, they never would; he'd accepted that a long time ago, Rey might have been the person who he could have opened up everything to…but it was hard to seek solace in a gravestone.

Sighing he hit the speaker button "hey"

There was a crackle and Athrun answered "_anything to report?_"

"Nothing, how long are we staying out here for?"

"_Until the radios are working again, we need our systems to track any approaching ships_"

"And how long is that going to take?"

"_I'm not sure, no more than an hour, why?_"

"No reason"

"_Let me guess, you're bored_"

Shinn could almost feel the smile on Athrun's face; he bristled "no, I was just wondering!"

"_Shinn, if you're bored, it's ok to admit it_"

"I'm not bored! I was just asking!"

"_You're not the only one, Dearka's bored, aren't you, Dearka?_"

"_Out of my tiny mind_" Dearka replied cheerfully "_the only thing keeping me going is that at least we're not fighting for our lives out here_"

Shinn turned off his line and sat back in his seat sulking; mulling over his settings he tapped a few buttons and took a sweep of his surroundings looking for signs of disturbance. As before there was nothing, just empty space that stretched for eternity; was there really no end to outer space? It was a scary thought, Shinn mused to himself, how strange it would feel to float around just alone; there wouldn't even be a way to scream.

"_Shinn?_"

Athrun's voice came through the speaker and Shinn started, realising it wasn't the first time he'd been called; sighing he hit the button "if you've got nothing practical to say then I'm not interested"

There was a sigh that fuzzed slightly halfway through "_you really shouldn't talk to a superior like that_"

"Just because Captain Yamato put you in charge when we left the ship it does NOT make you my superior!" Shinn said loudly.

"…_Actually, it does_"

"Whatever! I'm still gonna complain when I get back on to the _Eternal_, you might be Captain Yamato's friend but that doesn't mean you should get push everyone around!"

"_Trust me, I have no intention of pushing anyone around. Besides, trying to push you around is like trying to move the Eternal with my bare hands_"

There was a snigger down the line and Shinn knew Lunamaria was laughing; huffily Shinn ignored this and instead demanded, "was there something you wanted?"

"_Hmm?_"

"You called me, remember. What did you want?"

"_Ah yes, you're closer to the ship than I am, I was wondering if you could pick up any signals from the Eternal that I couldn't_"

"I'll check"

He looked up at the board of switches and started to flick them randomly creating static and crackling as he did so; for a moment he thought he picked up on something, but when he tried to make contact there was only more static followed by the broken hum of silence. Giving up he pushed back the switch he had used to speak to Athrun, and then realised too late that he couldn't remember which line that had been on.

"Ah geez"

He looked at the various switches for a moment, trying to recall the ways in which they'd been set; it was like trying to replace the pieces of a chess match after the dog had just knocked them all on to the floor. Growling in frustration he flicked one experimentally and waited, then he chose another and pushed the third the other way.

There was a buzz.

"Athrun?"

No reply. Shinn hit a forth-

"_ATHRUN ZALA!_"

Shinn leapt out of his skin and almost shrieked; composing himself and tugging irritably at his collar he hit the speaker button "Commander Joule?"

"_Who is this!_" demanded Yzak's voice crossly.

"MobilesuitpilotShinnAsuka_, _sir" Shinn replied carefully "Admiral Din- Zala is on another line"

"_Oh is he indeed!_" Yzak hissed "_which line is he on? I want a word with him!_"

From the sound of his voice Shinn would have guessed he wanted to slowly rip Athrun's head from his neck rather than exchange a few simple words "I don't know, I can't get through"

"_Tell him that the radios on the Eternal are working again, he can come in_"

"But-"

"_And tell that slimy Orb civilian I want to see him the moment he pokes a toe out of the Justice! Over and out!_"

"If I can't get through to him then how am I supposed to tell him the damn lines are back up?" Shinn grumbled continuing his previous mission of hitting random buttons on his controls to see what result they produced.

He hit another few buttons and called through the crackle in search of an answer.

"_-inn?_"

"Luna!" Shinn hit back on the button he'd just pushed "Luna, are you there?"

"_Shinn, is it you that's been making the radio system crackle! No one can get through!_"

"Never mind that now, where's Athrun?"

"_On the line that can't get through because you keep upsetting it!_"

"Look, I can't remember my damn settings alright!"

"_How long have you had the Destiny?_"

"Shut up, just tell Athrun the lines are back up on the _Eternal_" Shinn sighed impatiently "and Commander Joule wants to see him as soon as he boards"

"_Rodger that_"

Switching off his speaker Shinn made one last sweep of the space around him; it seemed weird to him that the ship's engines and weapons had been frozen and not promptly attacked, had the only reason for the signal block been to let the fleeing ship escape along with Lacus Clyne? What was the point? They already knew the designation, did they?

Unless it had all been a ploy.

Turning his mobile suit forty degrees he saw through his screens Luna descending in the Impulse followed by the Buster; each mobile suit boarded the ship and Shinn took his turn as his radio crackled in to life suddenly and Meyrin's voice gave him permission to board.

"How long have the radios and signals been up?" he asked.

"_Only about ten minutes, there's no enemy ship in sight so Captain Yamato is calling all mobile suits back in_" Meyrin replied "_is everyone alright?_"

"Sure, nothing happened"

The Destiny set down on the brackets in the entrance to the ship and Shinn switched off the weapons and other controls as his machine was pulled in to the hold of the ship. Over the radio he heard Meyrin give permission to the Justice to start its retreat and boarding.

As his own mobile suit came to rest, Shinn did what he always did and checked for Mayu's phone; even now there was still a jolt through his stomach when he remembered that not so long ago he'd thought it had been left behind in Athrun's apartment. Feeling a little lost he took it out and held it tight in his hand, watching as his knuckles turned white with the pressure; he'd sworn always to keep this phone by his side, to protect it forever.

And thanks to Athrun he still could.

Inwardly Shinn groaned; all off the people it could have been, why did it have to be Athrun Zala he had to be grateful to?

"_Any time you feel like getting out of that thing would be good_" a voice said irritably through the speaker crackling slightly "_it's not as if we've got a job to do or anything_"

"I'm coming" taking off his helmet he opened the cockpit and clambered out, reaching for the wire to take him down to the ground. Everything always looked so out of proportion from up here, and as he lowered they all seemed to enlarge to bigger sizes their faces coming in to focus as he touched the ground and let go. As he did so a few mechanics began checking the systems and Shinn pointed out that his radio systems were all askew – he didn't bother mentioning it had been him who had messed them about.

"Shinn?"

He looked over his shoulder "what?"

From the feet of the Justice behind him Athrun came to his side his helmet also under his arm casually "I lost touch with you for a moment there, is everything alright?"

"Just fine, my communications are messed up that's all" Shinn turned back away again; before he had wanted to thank Athrun, this would be the perfect moment as everyone around them were dashing about while Lunamaria and Dearka had already risen to the levels above. But right now, Shinn couldn't seem to bring himself to do it anymore; now that the shock had subsided, he felt foolish to be so messed up over a phone. It was embarrassing, and he hated to be flustered around Athrun.

"Actually, could I have a moment?"

The words caught Shinn mid-step and he froze in place; he stayed quietly as Athrun came back to his side beneath the grandeur of the Destiny. Standing to Shinn's left he wasn't completely in the younger pilot's line of vision, so Shinn was forced to turn his head to look at him unless he wanted to appear rude or cowardly.

"What?"

"It's about before…" Athrun started.

"I'm standing by what I said" Shinn interrupted tersely "now you're not a part of Zaft I will never think of you as my superior, you're going to have to get used to that"

For a moment Athrun looked confused, then he shook his head "no, that's not what I'm talking about"

"Then what are you talking about?" asked Shinn shortly.

"Before, in the locker room, when you wanted to talk to me"

"I told you it wasn't important"

Athrun ignored this and headed straight for the point "you wanted to talk to me about that phone, didn't you" he said gently, almost as if he was expecting Shinn to fall apart at the very mention, the tone wasn't something Shinn took to kindly "I only realised that when I was in the Justice"

"I don't want to talk about it…" then Shinn hesitated and his eyebrows dipped, reluctantly he gazed back at Athrun "how did you know about it?"

"I don't" replied Athrun, he too paused and looked away for a instant, but only briefly "but…I can guess" he admitted "I'm as open minded as the next guy, but in all honesty I can't see your favourite colour being pink"

Shinn said nothing.

"Look, I'm not going to ask about it, and I don't want you to tell me anything" Athrun continued on as if unaware of Shinn's unwillingness in the conversation, though he probably saw it as clear as day "but, promise me something"

Now Shinn looked at him with ease, curiosity building up inside him; there was something in way Athrun stood by him and not in front, something in the way he didn't want to know the details "yeah?"

Again, Athrun was slow in answering and now it was his turn to be unwilling to look the other in the face; he sighed lightly and seemed to have a small battle of resolve to conflict with him before he spoke again "…just don't start a collection"

Silence filled them. Shinn watched Athrun trying to read between the lines, something he'd never really been very good at; it always seemed so much simpler to blurt every thing out, he wasn't skilled in subtle. Then Athrun turned away without anything more; he walked on passed the mobile suits and left Shinn standing there, just as a white uniform appeared in the doorway.

"YOU!"

Athrun stopped again and calmly awaited Yzak who came storming over with the fires of hell steaming from his ears "Yzak, it was Kira's decision"

Yzak glared at his former comrade as if a glower that strong would solve the whole matter; he snarled in response and hissed "Captain Yamato should have discussed the matter with other members of the crew, before he went around promoting people!"

"That's an issue you'll have to take up with Kira" Athrun pointed out as Shinn rejoined his side.

"It's not for you to take control of a mission if you're not even from the Plants!"

"It's also not for me to contradict the Captain's wishes either"

"I can understand that you and Captain Yamato have personal conversations together!" Yzak went on "it's no more than I was expecting given your past, but that gives you no excuse to simply obey his orders just because he asked, you should have come to me about it!"

"Why?" asked Athrun simply.

Yzak looked rather taken aback "because you're not Zaft! Because it hasn't been approved by any official claim that you should take any role other than an Orb representative"

For first time, Athrun's eyes narrowed "if you're expecting me to sit in a comfy chair and watch the show with a box of popcorn in my arms while the rest of you battle on to retrieve Lacus then you're really barking up the wrong tree"

Yzak glared "the only reason you're here is because Kira Yamato made up some excuse because he wanted you to come!"

"Actually the Chairman herself requested I accompanied you"

"What!" Yzak's eyes widened, but it didn't stop his flow "that doesn't mean you can go around taking control of anything you fancy!"

Athrun looked at him, and then gave up with a sigh "uh, you're worse than Shinn" he muttered tiredly.

Yzak's glare intensified "was that an insult!"

Athrun muttered something but shook his head "no, it was merely an observation" he replied, when Yzak failed to be satisfied with this he added "I know I'm stepping on your toes and that makes you mad-"

"I-"

"But when the Captain of the ship asks you to do something, you do it" Athrun overrode him "you know that as well as I do" Athrun gave him a look and folded his arms "you may be a Commander, Yzak, but Kira's the Captain of the _Eternal_. So if he wants me to do something then I'm going to do without a consideration to your pride getting stepped on, if you don't like that then that's your problem"

There was a silence during which Yzak fumed silently; around them mechanics had stopped in their work to watch and beside him Shinn stood also quietly, waiting to see who would back down first. They all knew Athrun was right of course, even Yzak, but that didn't mean the Commander was going to receive this speech well; if anything, he'd take it worse just because he knew it was right.

"Yzak" Athrun muttered. It was the kind of voice that told the listener that they were being a fool and to overreact like this was idiotic because there was no need for a fight.

If that had been aimed at Shinn he would have taken more personally and would have become angrier, but whether because Yzak was more mature, or he was simply more of a friend to Athrun than he cared to admit, he let the glare change to a scowl that then lowered to the floor.

Athrun's expression softened then, and there was a touch of a smile when he said out loud "I'll tell you next time, alright?"

Yzak hesitated, still giving the floor a good thrashing with his eyes before he looked back up and folded his arms "you better had do!" he snapped "or everyone will be left wondering what happened to the lead representative of Orb!"

With that he turned smartly on his heel and stormed off barking out orders left, right and centre to anyone who had dared to get in his way. One of the mechanics had made the mistake of putting down his tools. A few seconds later, when Yzak had snatched them away and used each one to bash him over the head, he vowed never to let them go again.

Athrun only chuckled and shook his head "I'll be the bane of his existence for the rest of his life" as he and Shinn headed for a lift to take them up to the higher levels.

"Are you sure you two are friends?" asked Shinn doubtfully as they boarded one of the open lifts and the doors slid shut tightly "I get you and Captain Yamato, but you and Commander Joule? It seems a little…vicious" he finished unable to find a better word that would suitably describe the views he had on the matter.

"You have to read between the lines" Athrun replied, "Yzak's always been somewhat…irritated that he was never able to quite surpass me"

Shinn snorted, "if that's him irritated, I'm scared to know what his fury is like"

"I'm sure it's nothing you couldn't handle, in that respect you two are fairly similar"

"Meaning what!" asked Shinn not quite sure if he actually liked being compared to his commander.

"You both shout at me" Athrun mused with a little mirth, almost to himself "no one else in the world really shouts at me, but you two seem to make up for that fact"

"I-!" Shinn bristled and wasn't able to decide whether that was an insult or other "jerk!"

Athrun smiled and leant back against the wall "at least the lifts are working"

"Does that mean the whole ship is fixed?"

"I doubt the engines are running yet, so we're still stuck here. But our position has improved greatly"

"You mean we can see the enemy that's going to blow us to bits? That's better?"

"We are well protected, we have more than enough mobile suits and ship weapons to defend us from attack. Don't worry about it"

"I'm not worried! But we are in plain sight of anyone who takes a fancy to destroy us"

"You forget we're not actually at war with anyone"

"That means nothing" Shinn snorted "all that means is that everyone has just had enough of destruction for a while"

Athrun lifted his eyebrows "I thought you believed in peace"

"Believing in something and actually knowing it could be real are two completely different things"

"I take it you're referring to the Peace Treaty meetings that have been continuing since the war stopped"

"Well they're not going to last now, are they? They'll be like this ship, stuck in the middle of nowhere until someone decides to destroy them"

"That isn't going to happen"

"Oh, I didn't know you could see in to the future"

Athrun gave him a look "am I right when I perceive that you think the Peace Treaty meetings are having no effect at all and never have?"

"Give me a break, it was just a bunch of old smelly men bickering about stupid little things"

"Thanks very much" Athrun replied feeling a little perturbed by this sour Shinn, he had after all attended at the least ninety percent of those meetings himself "you know, if I were Kira I'd be explaining to you that though the meetings are taking a long time, people are still fighting to make it a reality"

"But you're not Captain Yamato, what difference does make?"

"Well, the way I see it, this has less to do about the meetings and more to do with something bothering you"

Shinn scowled "why would you think there's something bothering me?"

"You're hardly dancing lovingly in the fairy lights now, are you?"

"That's probably because I don't dance full stop"

"So you're not going to tell me what the problem is?"

"There is no problem" Shinn wafted a hand "I'm only a mobile suit pilot, what do I know about war or peace treaties?"

"Given the fact you thought you were grand enough to _sigh_ during a peace treaty meeting, I would have thought you assumed to know quite a lot about war"

"You're being sarcastic again, aren't you?"

Athrun smiled "maybe a little" he turned sideways to face his younger companion "is this about that phone again?"

"No"

"Well?"

"What!"

"Talk to me"

"I don't want to and I don't have to!"

Athrun said nothing, but gazed at Shinn mildly and waited with patience.

Shinn sighed, "why did someone decide to stop all our engines? We stayed out there for an hour and half and nothing happened"

"Would you have preferred it if something had?"

"No! But at least it would have made things clear, we'd know what we were up against. Our engines being stopped like that and then there's nothing out there, we were sitting ducks and no one did anything, it's sneaky" he huffed and then looked at the level they were on "dammit, why is this thing taking so long!"

"The channels will be blocked" Athrun explained "there'll be a lot of people checking the shafts to make sure nothing is damaged and systems are in check, and we're on emergency energy. The lift will move slower to save power"

"Couldn't they do all that before?" Shinn complained, "I could have got there faster if I'd climbed up the side of the ship"

Athrun checked the levels and found they were three away from their destination; even as he watched, the number changed and the lift dragged on slowly, he could feel the box rise up and if he concentrated the sounds of the machinery working filtered through the walls. He drifted off in to his head, thinking about what Shinn had said before getting distracted by lifts; he was right, and Athrun could feel it too. Whoever had stopped their ship had done it to get away; it was sneaky, and it hinted of things…_planned_. That wasn't good, added to that the news about _Requiem_ and the kidnapping of Lacus Clyne who had let herself be taken…it was all coming together slowly, in to a plan.

A plan Athrun didn't know about.

A plan made by someone unknown.

An enemy?

They were on the last level, seconds away from the door opening.

"Athrun"

"Yes?" Athrun looked back and found that Shinn's face had darkened much as his had.

"Do you think…" Shinn stopped quietly and looked at the floor; he didn't know if he wanted to hear the answer, but at the same time his imagination only repeated the worst and he needed someone to tell him he was…wrong? He hated to be wrong, but right now he wanted nothing more than to be told he was being a fool, and Athrun was good at calling him a fool "do you think we're going to war again?

The bell rang briefly before Athrun could reply and the doors opened slowly; Kira stood in the way, looking surprised as he saw Athrun and Shinn "I was just coming to find you, the lift was taking some time"

"It's slow" Athrun agreed stepping out "you might want to talk to the mechanics about it"

"Yeah…" Kira hesitated with another glance at Shinn "I heard about Yzak, sorry"

"Don't worry about it"

"I was thinking…" Kira looked at his friend "could you give me a report?"

"Two words" said Shinn still with that dark look "nothing happened"

"Um…maybe in a little more detail?" Kira's gaze flickered back to Athrun.

The Orb Admiral nodded in understanding, reading between the lines, and looked back at Shinn "I'll find you later alright, there's nothing to worry about now. Go and get something to eat, ok?"

It was a brush off, and they both knew it was; Shinn fought back what he really wanted to say and had to bite his tongue to stop himself, he grunted and then pushed passed Athrun "you're not my superior and I don't need your assurance over anything" he lifted his head up and threw Athrun a random glare over his shoulder "and I don't need you to tell me when to eat"

The pair of them watched Shinn march down the corridor silently, and then Kira looked at Athrun "is everything alright?"

"It's just me being a bad superior again" Athrun sighed "forget about it" he glanced back at the Captain "you want to have that talk now, right?"

Kira was quiet for a moment, but nodded all the same; Athrun started down the way Shinn had gone and his friend followed. It had been a long time since Kira had needed Athrun's help over anything but their past was filled with moments of Kira seeking Athrun's help with creating models, or needing Athrun's attention because he couldn't sleep. It was the same as Athrun needing Kira's help to download and configure computers, or spending time in a family environment when his own was busy with work.

"By the way" Kira said breaking the silence "about that signal device you created to switch off the Haros…"

"Ah" Athrun replied casually "consider it your next birthday present"

* * *

><p>Yeah, I realise Athrun is probably too nice to create a machine to kill the Haros for a while. Call it Artistic License, I found the idea very funny. And Kira and Athrun have to have a couple of funny moments in their friendship, right? Otherwise it would be one hell of a miserable friendship, so I figured Kira wanting to know more about the device was rather amusing.<p>

Probably I'm the only one, my sense of humour is a little to be desired at times. I watch too many comedies.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review with an opinion.

Thanks for reading!

Kiki

Kizzes!


	7. Three's A Crowd

You know, I often wonder what I'd do if I didn't have fanfiction, or anime in my life. What would I do when I'm bored? Or feeling a little down? My, I have no idea. Still, it doesn't matter anyway cause I do have anime and fanfiction in my life. YAY!

Anyway, that's my random thought for the week. On to the story.

Last Time: The ship had broken down and I seemed to remember Athrun brushed Shinn off in the last scene because Kira comes first.

WARNINGS: Battle and warfare - not much, but weaponary is mentioned. Grammar? Spelling? I did check - several times.

Disclaimer: I do not own Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny, nor any of its characters.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Silver And Gold<strong>

**Chapter Seven: Three's A Crowd**

"You know, if the Plants declare war again, we'll be on opposite sides"

Athrun looked up from his own bed over to Kira's where his friend was lying on his back looking up at the ceiling "I know" he smiled "it's ironic really. I spent all that time trying to persuade you to join Zaft and, the moment you do, I find myself on Orb's side"

"Do you think the world would really do that to us?" asked Kira quietly "make us fight all over again?"

"Last you asked me that, we were thirteen years old and I said there would be no war" Athrun lifted his eyebrows "do you really want me to answer your question this time?"

Kira smiled, but only briefly; he gazed back up at the ceiling trying to make patterns in the impossibly white coverage "I don't want to fight you again" he muttered.

Over on his bed Athrun sighed softly and stood up; grabbing a chair from the desk and bringing round he sat on it back to front and leant his elbows on the backrest "what's all this about, Kira? You've in been in a dark mood ever since you boarded the _Eternal_"

"Someone took Lacus, Athrun"

"I know you're worried about her, but with the ship engines still not working and all sights of the escaped ship gone, there's nothing we can-"

"That's not what I mean" Kira sat up and hefted himself against the pillows though his head still hung low "all that time we've spent on the Peace Treaties, has it all just been a waste of time?"

Athrun paused as he thought through his answer; Kira lifted his head when he got no reply and watched Athrun think, the Orb Admiral rested his chin on the back of his hand for a moment before his eyes refocused and he shook his head slowly "we have made a difference, the Chairman of the Plants is on our side, she wants peace…if she didn't, she could have easily declared war when I accused her of repairing _Requiem_"

"But it's not enough" the Captain shook his head "if it was, we wouldn't be chasing Lacus through space, or trying to"

"But it's something, isn't it? The Plants are working together with Orb" Athrun pointed out "I'm the breathing proof of that"

"I realise that's progress obviously" Kira agreed "then again Orb working with the Plants might not be as good as we first thought, what if the Earth Alliance is unhappy with some of the Peace Treaties but unwilling to mention it because of-"

"Would you stop worrying"

Kira looked up and found Athrun smiling down at him.

"You're making me look decisive"

Kira froze for a moment, and then chuckled "I guess we can't have that" he stretched and rubbed his shoulder silently, gazing at the bed before him lost in thought "I miss her" he admitted "even more now we're on her ship, and she's in danger too"

"The ship doesn't belong to Lacus" Athrun amended "it belongs to the Captain, _you_"

"That's not-"

"It's not something you should forget" the Orb Admiral interrupted "at any time, otherwise you'll just make saving Lacus twice as difficult"

"I'm not sure-"

"I know what I'm talking about"

Kira's eyes flickered back to him once more.

"I know I'm not the surest of people, but I know about being in charge" Athrun explained "if you go around not thinking yourself as a Captain or in charge of this ship, then it's not going to help anyone, least of all Lacus"

The Captain released a long soft breath "you're a lot better at this than me"

"That's why I'm an Admiral, and you're a Captain"

"That's true" as Torii came to land on his risen knee Kira let his head fall back against the head rest "but you've got a wise head on that shoulder of yours, Athrun Zala, don't let anyone tell you anything different" he lifted his hand and let the robot bird land lightly on his palm "being in charge was never really my thing, whether I was on the _Eternal_ or the _Archangel_ there was always someone else who was Captain who would tell me what to do"

"Any time you feel like giving up, I'm sure Yzak will be happy to take over"

"I'm sure he would" the hint of a smile touched Kira's lips "I don't think he's very receptive to my leadership"

"Is that going to stop you?" asked Athrun quietly.

Kira watched as Torii hopped from his palm to his fingers and shook his head strongly "no, I'm not giving up. I can't, that would be giving up on Lacus"

"Of course it would, and that's not going to happen. Right?"

The bird flittered from Kira's hand to Athrun's shoulder and the Captain followed it with his gaze "no"

"Right then" Athrun's smile was brighter still "so let me do the worrying and the questioning, we're not at war yet so don't worry about it. All we need to concentrate on is getting Lacus back, yes?"

"Yes" Kira returned the smile and let the bird fly back to him "we get Lacus back, and everything will be just fine"

"Exactly" said Athrun, wishing his feelings matched his words.

"I'm sorry, I know being a Captain means I should be strong" Kira shook his head as if to rid his worries "I guess Lacus's kidnapping just really shook me up. It won't happen anymore, I promise"

"That's good then" Athrun leant his head on his elbows "you're a good Captain, just give it time…" he hesitated momentarily "although, thinking about it, there is one thing you could change…"

"Really? What is it?"

"Well, you know that gun you have strapped under your Captain's coat?"

"Yes?"

"It's loaded right?"

"Of course"

"Then _please_ put the safety catch on, you're worse than Cagalli"

"Ah" said Kira.

He brought forth the gun to see.

Athrun ducked.

* * *

><p>"There you are!" Yzak snapped as Kira and Athrun entered the bridge "I called you ten minutes ago!"<p>

"Sorry, we have a slight technical problem in our room" Athrun replied apologetically "we only just got your message"

"What technical difficulty! The radios are back up!"

"Kira shot the intercom"

Kira flushed "I didn't do it on purpose" he muttered.

"Um…" Deputy Captain Trine trailed off "may I ask…"

"The gun discharged accidentally" his Captain explained meekly.

"Didn't you have the safety catch on?"

"What's that?" Athrun asked "safety catch? Kira's never heard of it, have you, Kira?"

"There's no need to be like that" his friend protested feebly "it wasn't that close to your head"

"You mean like Junius Seven wasn't _that_ close to the weapons that blew it up?"

"You've made your point"

"That remains to be seen" said Athrun flatly "have you enabled the safety catch?"

"What happened to not revealing my weak points to the rest of the crew?" Kira asked in defence. He had a point; the whole bridge was listening.

"Insecurity about your position as Captain and simple basic knowledge of a secured gun are two completely different things" Athrun murmured under his breath as he became vaguely aware of a rising heat behind him; Yzak was seconds away from exploding.

"If I could have your attention for only a moment, _Admiral_!" hissed the silver headed Commander "I did actually call the Captain for a reason!"

"I'm aware of that" Athrun replied as he settled himself by Meyrin who had turned from her computer to watch the scene.

"What is it? Has the ship taking Lacus been spotted?" Kira asked mind switching back in to place.

"No" replied Yzak "another ship has"

"Another ship?"

"A scouting ship"

Kira and Athrun exchanged glances.

"Sir, I was wondering what a scouting ship doing all the way out here" Arthur Trine asked "it's one of ours"

"It was completing a mission for the Chairman" Kira answered as he went to the computers "have you contacted them yet?"

"That's a little difficult to do" Yzak said darkly "you see, the entire thing has been blown up"

There was silence.

Athrun straightened sharply "blown up?" he repeated "why?"

"I was hoping you were going to tell me" Yzak turned his sharp eyes on Athrun "don't think I don't know what's going on" he accused in a hard voice.

The Orb Admiral paused when he realised Yzak's entire glare was directed at him; he cleared his throat to give himself time to relax before answering, "I don't know what you mean"

"I find that difficult to believe!" Yzak snarled shortly "I heard about your _private_ meeting with the Chairman, next thing there's a scouting ship being sent out but no one will give me its flight plan! Now, it's in a thousand pieces!"

Then he leant over Meyrin to hit a button; on the large screen at the front of the bridge the picture flickered for a moment before revealing outer space to them all, the entire bridge was silent as they surveyed the scene. Parts of the ship were scattered about, some near while others were aloft further away; there was the second half of a mobile suit floating just close to them and then part of the bridge front came in to sight. Of life there was no sign; how could there be, the whole ship looked as if a pair of giant hands had torn it to pieces.

Yzak looked back at Athrun "what's happening?" he demanded as he pointed at the screen "why is that ship blown to bits!"

Neither Athrun nor Kira replied to this; they simply stared at the screen and then turned to look at each other. Athrun knew what Kira was thinking; they'd been sent to find Lacus and the ship had been sighted heading for Orb, at least that's what they believed. But this ship had been heading for _Requiem_ and someone had seen fit to destroy it; Kira would be one hell of a bad Captain if he didn't plan to investigate a little.

"Are the engines working?" he asked softly, trying to weigh his decision. They had lost Lacus and the ship taking her, while contacting Orb seemed to be having problems of its own: no one could get through, and the theory was that the range of the radios were damaged in some way. It was taking time to repair them.

Too much time.

"The emergency power is working at its full potential now, and the original source of power is being repaired as we speak" Arthur replied "the engines work but it'll take them ten minutes to boot up"

"That's fine" Kira nodded "we're changing course"

"Are you sure?" asked Athrun.

"What! What about Miss Clyne?" Yzak demanded, "we can't simply forget her! And what's going on?" he looked back at Athrun "what do you two know that I don't!"

Once more he was ignored as Kira went to Athrun's side "the ship taking Lacus was passing _Requiem_ anyway, right?"

"Yes, but- I thought your plan was to bypass _Requiem_ and head to Orb" Athrun whispered back "we don't know what's guarding _Requiem_, it might be more than we can handle"

"I know, but I can't ignore this. That ship is shattered, someone wants to protect _Requiem_ and this has to be related to Lacus if her ship was passing it anyway"

"If you're sure" the Orb Admiral replied "but Orb has more than enough technology to discover what's going on up here, more than we have on the _Eternal_"

"I know, but I have to see for myself"

"When you two are QUITE finished!"

They turned to find Yzak glaring at them, his arms folded.

"Is there going to be much of this?" asked the Commander coldly "I know you two are friends, so a little canoodling is allowed, but surely when you're discussing the route of the ship the Captain should discuss the matter with his Commanders, rather than an Admiral of ORB!"

"We're going to _Requiem_" Kira replied.

"WHAT!" said Yzak and Trine together.

"Deputy Captain Trine, make the arrangements and change the course of the ship, I want to start as soon as the engines are ready"

"Wait a minute!" Yzak spluttered, "Why are we going to _Requiem_, what's that got to do with ANYTHING!"

"Yzak, you and I along with Athrun should hold a meeting regarding battle tactics-"

"Battle tactics? We're not at war!"

"Deputy Trine, take charge of the bridge" Kira turned on his heel and looked over his shoulder at the gaping Yzak "I'm sorry, do you have a question?"

"Only a thousand and one!"

"We can talk about it on our feet" Kira looked back at Athrun "are you coming?"

Despite it all Athrun was smiling "of course, Captain"

"Hey! What the hell is going on around here?" Yzak fumed as he started after the Captain "I want you to tell me right now!"

"You'll know everything, just as soon as-"

"Ah, Captain!" Meyrin called looking from her screen quickly.

Athrun and Kira stopped so suddenly Yzak almost crashed in to them "yes, what is it?"

"Movement, sir, on the left side!"

"Put it up on the screen!"

They all turned to the screen that once again flickered in to life; at first there was nothing, no sign of movement or any heat signals at all. Perhaps Meyrin had been mistaken was what started to enter their minds, even the girl herself, when an alarm suddenly blared on the bridge and on the left hand side of the screen something moved in to sight.

Kira's eyes widened "mobile suits?"

"What's that flashing around them?" asked Arthur.

"They're firing at us?" spat Yzak.

"Warning shots" muttered Athrun, he turned his head "Kira-"

"The mobile suits should launch immediately" Kira agreed, turning to the door before remembering again that he was the Captain and he should be on bridge sitting in the chair "Athrun, you're in charge"

"I should go too" said Yzak quickly.

"Not yet" Kira shook his head "I don't want to use all our machines at once, not until we know how many suits there are out there"

* * *

><p>"What's going on?" asked Dearka as he hurried in to the locker room "I was off duty"<p>

"Not any more, you're not" Athrun replied as he opened his locker.

"Are we really being attacked?"

"It seems that way"

"Damn!" Dearka cursed as he grappled with his clothes "what's the plan then?"

Athrun smiled; no questions or proclamations of supposed peace, just straight to the point. If only all the pilots would be so accommodating "I want you on standby, in case things turn foul. Yzak will be joining you shortly"

"Fine" Dearka agreed "and you?"

"I'll be going out there with Shinn and Lunamaria, hopefully that's enough, but if it's not I'll need your help"

"Of course" Dearka smirked "just say the word"

The door opened and Lunamaria rushed in with Shinn wandering in behind her casually "what's happening! Why are we fighting? I thought we were at peace!"

"We're under attack" said Athrun "at the moment it's five mobile suits, but there may be more. Lunamaria, you take the right side, one of them is carrying a long-range weapon so be careful. Shinn, you take the left side, that leaves me to deal with the middle one"

"What's so special about the middle one?" asked Dearka.

"It's holding a bomb," replied Athrun "big enough to blow up the half the ship"

As one they stopped "a bomb?" repeated Dearka "seriously?"

"Unfortunately"

"Do you think that's what they used to blow up the other ship?" asked Lunamaria "we saw it on the screen, it's crazy"

"It could be" Athrun conceded "at any rate, they could have more bombs, so be careful" he cast a glance at Shinn who noticed this.

"Why are you looking at me?" he asked speaking for the first time.

"Because you have a habit of not being careful"

"This coming from the guy who plans to destroy an entire bomb by himself" Shinn's voice was cold and unfeeling, completely devoid of the usual angst and passion he usually directed Athrun's way at any given opportunity. Though his words themselves were nothing strange enough for anyone else to notice, Athrun felt like Shinn had just dumped a bucket of ice water on him.

Something was wrong.

Athrun could hazard a guess as to what it was about too; though he couldn't understand why Shinn would take it so personally, it wasn't as if he was regarded high in Shinn's esteem after all. He sighed as Dearka turned around and started to undress, clearly making the point that he wasn't the least bothered about a girl still being in the room. Lunamaria, not one to be embarrassed by such a show, only rolled her eyes when he winked at her and left the room to change in to her own suit.

"Shinn"

Shinn paused in getting his stuff, only to resume seconds later without turning "what?"

"I know, when we last talked…it seemed…" Athrun stopped, and rethought his words "I'm sorry if I brushed you off earlier, that wasn't my intention. I know you're worried-"

"You and Captain Yamato are friends" Shinn interrupted "you have been all your lives, I get it. When he calls you go running, that's the way it is, I don't see why you think I'm even the slightest bothered about that"

"Because I know you were asking for my assurance and I didn't give you an answer, that was wrong of me"

"First of all, I wasn't asking for assurance" now Shinn stopped in what he was doing to scowl at his locker door "and second, I already got my answer. We're at war again"

"We're not at war" Athrun corrected, "these people might be just like the terrorists that changed the orbit of Junius Seven"

"Yeah, and look where that got us"

"It might not come to that, we could stop it before it even reaches that stage"

"Because the people of the world are just so understanding"

"Shinn-"

The younger growled "don't you get it" he said flatly turning to face Athrun now "I'm not interested, I don't need your assurance and the last thing I want is your opinion on the matter. If you want to pass your oh so highly viewed opinion across someone then just go find your butt buddy and leave me out of it"

Athrun glared, more darkly than Shinn was prepared for "that's no way to talk about your Captain" he said quietly.

"What are you going to do about it? Report me?" Shinn argued back.

"Um…"

Both Athrun and Shinn started back from each other, realising at the same time that, over the course of their conversation, they'd become lax in keeping their voices down and between them. As one they looked at the third occupant of the room.

Dearka cleared his throat "I don't want to barge in to this fight, or whatever you two are doing, but, last time I checked, we were in kinda of a hurry"

"Yes" Athrun shut his locker and turned the key; he turned away and joined Dearka "are you ready?"

"I'm the one that's on standby, remember"

"…Of course" Athrun muttered again, he glanced over his shoulder "I want you down in the hold in less than five minutes"

"Whatever-" Shinn interrupted himself "wait, you're in charge again?"

"If you have a problem with that then take it up with the Captain" the Orb Admiral answered walking to the door with Dearka "but seeing as you have such _respect_ for your Captain I can't believe you would want to question his judgement"

"I-"

Athrun left without another word; Dearka stopped for a moment, and looked back to watch Shinn return to his locker with a muttered insult that was surely directed at Athrun. Lifting his eyebrows Dearka closed the door behind him and caught his former comrade up.

"What was that about?"

Athrun looked surprised "what was what?"

"_That_, I've never seen you struggle with someone like that before, not even Yzak"

"Hmm, that's Shinn and I on a daily basis"

"He's always so awkward?"

"Yes, in fact I worry about him when he's not" Athrun gave a half smile "although, I think I'm more to blame than him this time"

"I doubt that happens very often" Dearka snorted, "the kid seems a real head case"

"He has issues that he can't let go of, that's all" Athrun murmured, "I can understand that"

"Oh, so that's why you battle with him" Dearka realised "just because you can relate to him doesn't mean he's going to see sense any time soon"

"I know that"

"So give up"

Athrun almost stopped "what? Give up?"

"Yeah, stop trying to reason with the guy and just let him get on with it. If he's not going to listen anyway, then there's no point"

"Yeah, but-"

"Trust me" Dearka jabbed a thumb at himself "I'm a expert in dealing with hardheads, sometimes it's just better to give up and let them get on with it"

"Give up…" Athrun muttered to himself as they walked along the corridor; he thought about the pilot they'd just left and the painful past he'd been through. Athrun knew pain, and sorrow; he wasn't as angry as Shinn, nor was he as blameful, but he was just as hurt "…I couldn't do that"

* * *

><p>Being in a battle of mobile suits was kind of similar to watching people rushing around in a busy city; giant robots crashed in to each other, swerved passed each other, hit out at each other and used weapons like civilians used insults. Sometimes a mobile suit was just one and yet it seemed to tower above like at least three or four; chasing after a mobile suit could be compared to a cheetah chasing its prey, the chase was fast and directed. The one fleeing wouldn't look behind because there wasn't time, while the chaser tried to speed up just that bit faster to gain the ground lost between them.<p>

Shinn brought the arm of the Destiny down on his quarry just as the _Eternal_'s lead weapon fired a shot to blow up another mobile suit somewhere to Shinn's left. The battle had begun as Athrun had originally planned, a few minutes in Shinn had dealt with one mobile suit and was fighting with the other while on the other side Lunamaria had taken down one of hers and was giving chase to the long ranged weapon. Now, things were different.

Four more mobile suits had appeared behind the first lot; moments later, and just when Shinn was getting accustomed to this new turn of events, another seven appeared from the right of the ship. Apparently these hidden mobile suits had been concealed behind the debris of the scout ship and now that Athrun and his little group had approached the first round, they were trapped in. This in itself wasn't that big of an issue; Athrun hadn't been made a FAITH member for nothing, while Shinn and Lunamaria had both been top of their classes. If they couldn't deal with a little sandwich then they weren't worth the space they took up; things had only become more complicated when the seven new mobile suits had begun to attack in pairs, rather than on mass.

Working as a team, each stranger had taken on one of the _Eternal_ mobile suits and as soon as one was down, another appeared in its place. Not only that but it wasn't long before Athrun realised that slowly, carefully, he and his subordinates were being pushed away from the ship. Isolated. That was when he'd called for Yzak and Dearka; Shinn had protested, claiming he could take the whole lot on.

To which Athrun had replied that Shinn was very welcome to take the whole lot on, if he could just clear all this up so they could get back in time for dinner.

The older had been right of course, damn him to hell; these strange mobile suits were powerful and what's more the unknown pilots guiding them were skilled. Shinn had been seconds away from being blown to bits by one that had caught him off guard, and he would have been done for if Athrun hadn't forewarned him and Yzak hadn't been there to cut the guy in two.

Athrun's voice crackled through the radio "_they're drawing us from the ship_"

"_We can't let that happen_" Yzak replied passionately "_Dearka, circle back round and take that third bastard down, you're closest to the ship_"

Silence followed this but Shinn was too distracted by his new opponent to really consider this; the guy was fast, and he didn't answer when Shinn tried to contact him. Shinn cursed under his breath as he shot the enemy's left leg off, he doubled back round to cut off an arm just as Yzak's voice blared through the radio again.

"_Dearka! Where are you! Dammit, answer your superior!_"

The mobile suit shot at Shinn barely missing his cockpit; this time he swore louder and swerved out the way just in time, another dodged attack and he was aiming for the enemy's cockpit itself. He fired, just as the enemy swept left and Shinn missed.

"_Dearka!_"

"_Sorry, I'm here…I was distracted_"

"_By what!_" Yzak's voice came through furiously "_I swear, Dearka, if you were thinking about girls…_"

"_Actually I was just wondering what that thing was_" Dearka's voice answered, "_that thing those two mobile suits are carrying_"

Yzak was stopped from replying by an attack from behind; he whirled around, cut once with his mobile suit and shot the enemy straight in the head. The machine crackled for a moment, blue lighting warping all around it, before exploding while over to the right Shinn succeeded in stabbing his opponent straight through with his weapon.

"_What thing?_" Yzak then asked.

"_Over there_" Dearka's answer came "_it's hiding behind that large bit of debris there_"

"_I can't see if from this angle_" Yzak was then cut off by another mobile suit "_Athrun, what is it?_"

There was a pause while Athrun circled around his own adversary before dodging forwards and taking the guy down; he turned back around and gasped "_it's an explosive_"

"_Wha- that big? Seriously?_" Dearka sounded almost amazed "_wow, these guys are really hiding something_"

"_Never mind that now!_" said Yzak impatiently "_we need to take that thing out now! If it gets too near the ship it'll blow the whole thing up!_"

"_I'll do it_" Athrun's voice came through "_we're winning this thing, that's why they're using it at all, it's a last resort_"

"Somealternative" muttered Shinn to himself.

"_Lunamaria, I need you to clear a path to the ship. Yzak, you and Dearka should take out the rest over on that side_"

"_Yes, sir_" Lunamaria chipped in turning to obey.

"_Are you ordering me!_" Yzak demanded.

"_Merely suggesting that in case you want to live, that would be the best thing to do_" Athrun said smartly "_Shinn, I'll need your help. Do you think you can defeat the one holding the explosive on the right?_"

"Who do you think I am? Some city farmer who lost his flock of sheep?" Shinn argued, "of course I can get him! I'm a pilot for a reason, you know"

"_That's all I need to know_" Athrun stipulated, there was a certain amount of controlled annoyance in his voice.

Sighing loudly Shinn flicked off his radio and skipped passed a mobile suit coming for him; no doubt Commander Joule would deal with him, and sure enough Shinn had barely moved forwards when the mobile suit following blew up. He checked his controls and moved towards his target, flying around some debris as he did so. For a moment his vision was blocked and he was out of the entire battle with nothing but outer space for company; he found the sudden peace almost creepy, as if he'd flown straight in to an alternate universe where there was no war, or battle or death. Only space.

But seconds later he was back round the other side and the fighting was still happening with the apparent peace seeming a mere dream he'd once had. He caught sight of Athrun heading for the pilot on the left of the explosive, already engaged in combat as shots from both pilots lit up between them. The pilot on the right however was still; with the explosive held on the shoulder and supported by one hand it left the pilot rather unguarded at one side and unable to help his companion. Supposedly the other mobile suits that Shinn had been fighting up until now had been the ones to guard this volatile weapon and its carriers; but now those machines were losing and this creator of destruction was left wanting. This battle would be over in less than ten minutes; Shinn smirked, Athrun had wanted to be back in time for dinner and now he could be.

"This guy's going down" Shinn murmured to himself as he switched one of his cameras to check back on the ship and Lunamaria.

His heart stopped.

Lunamaria had three mobile suits attacking from all sides; the ship was out of range having been distracted by some more mobile suits that had appeared behind it from nowhere. Shinn panicked; if he didn't do something now Lunamaria would be hurt. Badly.

"Dammit!"

Without thinking he turned his machine around and flew through space as if the fires of hell were burning his toes; he roared as he charged forwards firing his weapons one after the other as he lifted his sword ready to kill the one trying to drive his own weapon through Lunamaria's cockpit.

"DON'T YOU DARE!"

Shinn struck, bringing his weapon down on the bastard and caving him in two with one blow; he turned and fought back another mobile suit that had been taken totally by surprise with his attack. One blow swiped off a leg, a second blow caught the guy about the head and the third one hit home sending the pilot spinning back out of control and out of commission. Fire still raging in his eyes Shinn turned round to deal with the third.

Only to find it blow up in his face just as Lunamaria shot it down herself.

Shinn jammed down his speaker button "Luna, are you alright!"

"_Of course I am, idiot! I can look after myself, you know_" Shinn was rather taken aback by the crossness in Lunamaria's voice.

"There were three of them, they were all ganging up on you!" he protested.

"_I'm a trained Zaft mobile suit pilot and I'm one of the best! I think I can handle a few suits by myself!_"

"Well geez, don't be grateful whatever you do!" Shinn said mulishly "I was only trying to protect you!"

Lunamaria's exasperation came through clear on the line "_you're not thinking, are you! It's ATHRUN who needs your protection, you've just left him on his own to deal with an explosive that's almost the size of the Eternal!_"

Shinn froze.

He didn't dare look.

It was too late.

"_EVERYONE BACK TO THE SHIP!_" Yzak's roar came through communications just as the space around them lit up like a bonfire.

The power of the blast didn't hit them at once, but the rushing of compressed atmosphere propelled Shinn and Lunamaria back towards the ship like they were leaves in the wind. Shinn's hands were torn from his controls as he lost rule of his machine and plunged forwards with Lunamaria's cry ringing in his ears. The fire wasn't close enough to any damage to him but his heat signals started blaring out at him from all sides; a large chunk of debris shot passed him and for a moment he freaked with thoughts of the _Eternal_. Then he remembered the destroyed scout ship and breathing out quickly reached for his cameras as the Destiny came to a stop once more.

It was there, luckily out of range with quick thinking from Deputy Captain Trine; there were three balls of light soaring upwards and Shinn realised it was the signal flare. They were calling the mobile suits back to the ship; the battle was over, for now.

"_Shinn, are you ok?_" Lunamaria asked with a small amount of anxiety "_are you hurt?_"

"No, I'm good. You?"

"_I'm fine, what about everyone else?_"

Shinn searched his cameras; Yzak and Dearka came quickly in to sight, Dearka heading back for the ship while Yzak seemed stationary. The after effects of the explosion was still obvious; there was half a smouldering mobile suit, blown up by its own weapon, floating near Shinn and another incapacitated stranger further away. Debris of the scout ship that had survived its second blast were still dotted around, though some were smaller than they had been before.

He checked the cameras again, sweeping across the expanse of the battle and through the debris; something was wrong with the way Commander Joule seemed to be stationary and for a brief moment Shinn wondered if he was hurt. But the truth hit him so hard it felt like a battering ram; Commander Joule wasn't hurt, he was in search of something.

Or someone.

And at that moment Lunamaria's voice crackled through the radio voicing the question forming in Shinn's mind.

"_Shinn, where's Athrun?_"

* * *

><p>"Lunamaria Hawke is a trained Zaft mobile suit pilot and she's one of the best!" Yzak shouted.<p>

There was silence in the hold; the only movement was a slight swing of a dangling wire as it waited to be attached to a mobile suit. The mechanic supposedly in charge of this wire was at this moment looking between the fuming Commander and the object of his fury. Shinn stood silently looking at the floor purely because it was where Yzak had demanded he looked; the words of the Commander were still ringing in his ears when Yzak started again.

"You were given direct orders! Orders that WE all heard!" Yzak gestured to himself and Dearka who stood behind him quietly. Lunamaria too was included in the gesticulation but she sat further away on a box sitting next to the somewhat slumped form of Athrun Zala "you disobeyed them! How stupid can a person be to disobey his superior's orders when an explosive bigger than any building was seconds away from exploding! You put the ship in danger, you put US in danger, you put yourself in danger but most of all you nearly KILLED an Admiral of Orb! Have you any idea what that would have cost us! What it MIGHT cost us still!"

"I'm sorry…sir" said Shinn dully.

"You're _SORRY_!" Yzak sneered, "that seems to be your catchphrase that the moment, doesn't it! First you let Lacus Clyne get kidnapped and NOW you let Admiral Dino nearly get killed! The very same person, I might add, that is the only reason why you're not locked up in a cell somewhere serving your punishment for letting Lacus Clyne get stolen!" he glared at Shinn "a five letter word of regret doesn't quite cut it!"

Shinn looked up "what will happen to me?" he asked as there was movement behind him and a medic appeared in to the hold rushing towards them frantically.

"Oh you'll be punished this time, make no mistake!" Yzak snarled "Zaft will personally see that you're relieved of your rank, and if necessary they might find it prudent to take the Destiny from you!"

The younger Coordinator's eyes widened "but-"

"What Orb will do I've no idea! You-"

"You can't take the Destiny from me! It was designed for me, I'm one of the best Pilots in Zaft!" Shinn protested cutting his Commander off.

Yzak bristled "you should have thought of that before you went blowing up Orb Admirals!" he let out a dry laugh "you have no idea what you've done, have you? We are on the very brink of peace and Orb is one of our top supporters, one of the only nations to actually freely allow Coordinators in to their lands! How do think they're going to feel when they find out a Zaft soldier nearly killed one of their-"

"Yzak…do you think you could…lower your voice a little?" the voice came from behind the medic who moved aside so Athrun could look up at the Commander "you're giving me a headache"

"Don't be stupid!" Yzak said snappishly "Coordinators don't get headaches!"

"They do if they smack their heads back against the top of the cockpit when it's being flung through space" Athrun disagreed as the medic continued to examine the right side of his body. From his hip downward to below the shin of his right leg there was a deep angry wound where the controls of the machine had crushed him; on the side of his face there was a huge blackened burn and the top of his shoulder was bleeding, the material of his mobile suit garb had been smouldered away while the same damage had been mirrored on the side of the Justice standing tall behind him. There was a great hole in the right side of the machine and mechanics were now clambering about this hole assessing the damage while the argument continued below them.

"We should get you to the sick bay" said the medic quickly "I can deal with these wounds better there. Can you walk?"

"Yes, I should be able to"

"I'll help you" another voice came from behind Shinn and now the Captain of the ship appeared at his side, moving forwards to help Athrun to his feet.

The Orb Admiral stumbled slightly but Kira caught his weight and kept him steady "Athrun needs medical treatment" he said quietly "Yzak, I've left Deputy Trine in charge of the bridge, if you would take the time to see the damage outside. The rest of you should take a break"

"Hang on!" Yzak barked "what about him!" he flung a finger at Shinn "what are you going to do about him!"

"Nothing" replied Kira.

"What!"

"If Orb wants to press charges then it's out of my hands, but Zaft will take no part in that. Our main priority is to see that Athrun is taken care of"

"We can't just let him get away with it!" Yzak persisted angrily "what's to stop him disobeying orders again! We can't trust someone who simply disregards their orders to save a girl, especially a girl who can look after herself!"

"I've nothing more to say" Kira spoke over his shoulder "my main concern right now is Athrun"

"Alright, in that case we should lock Pilot Asuka in the cells for the time being" Yzak suggested vehemently; he was taking this all rather personally, but then again, he had been the one to drag the burning Justice back to the ship. He'd gone through the flames in search of Athrun; a call beyond duty some would have thought, but Yzak gave no comment to this matter and had refused to return to the _Eternal_ until he had located the Justice. To add to this, Athrun was a friend; Shinn was just some young hotshot who had difficulty listening to his orders. Yzak had little time for those who didn't respect their superiors, even if those superiors were of a different nation.

"Shinn will be allowed his usual freedom about the ship" Kira answered, he glanced sideways at Athrun who was lagging sideways somewhat unbalanced as he was and tiring through the use of what little energy he had "unless you want him to be locked up?"

Athrun was slow to reply, not because he was thinking of his answer, but because the pain and his injuries were slowing his reactions down; he sighed painfully and tried to draw in breath only to have the right side of his body protest. Wincing, he gave up any attempt to speak and only gave a sluggish shake of the head.

"SERIOUSLY!" Yzak shouted "no punishment at all! What is _with_ you two!"

"This…is not the first time…I've been injured in battle" Athrun managed between hurting breaths "and I'm aware…of Shinn's lack of respect…for me…"

"That is hardly the point!" Yzak spat "he left you to die!"

"To save a girl," Kira responded for Athrun "I can understand that"

"And instead he allowed an Admiral of Orb to get blown up!"

The crack of a smile stung Athrun's face "…Shinn's just not…politically minded…that's all"

Shinn was silent through this whole conversation; in truth, he couldn't believe what was happening. Weren't Kira or Athrun angry at all? Shinn had just left Athrun to die as Yzak had repeated over and over. Surely Kira felt something about that. And Athrun? Why wasn't he mad? He was always mad at Shinn for something, wasn't he? It didn't make sense that Athrun wasn't cross he'd disobeyed orders.

Yzak was still ranting but Kira was moving off with Athrun's arm about his neck and the medic holding the other side of the Admiral gingerly to avoid further agony. Behind them Yzak followed along with Dearka, trying to make Kira see sense; Lunamaria came to Shinn's side and tried to touch his shoulder, but he pulled away roughly and ran after the slowly moving Captain.

"Captain Yamato, I-"

Kira stopped so suddenly Athrun gasped in pain when his body carried on and slumped; bringing Athrun back to him Kira looked over his shoulder at Shinn. And _there_ was the anger; it wasn't clear, more a darkening around the eyes and a deliberateness about the jaw. And when he spoke to Shinn his words were clear and pointed; that's when Shinn realised his punishment, Kira wasn't going to lock him away or seek grounds for dismissal, he just wasn't going to trust Shinn as much as he had.

But his words were the worst of all; the Captain's voice was so kind and understanding, and yet there was something in the tone that was almost unknown, scary.

"Shinn, I understand why you did what you did, but please don't leave Athrun in the lurch again"

Shinn stood there speechless as the little party moved off again; Kira's face turned away again as he helped his friend along carefully, murmuring softly to keep Athrun conscious a while longer. The Admiral was looking heavier and heavier, his body falling asleep on his feet as the after affects of his trauma took over him; he didn't look back at Shinn at all and the younger Coordinator found himself troubled by that, bothered because it meant there was no fight from Athrun. It crept him out.

Because there was always a fight from Athrun.

Shinn made sure there was.

But the ship was starting up again, continuing as if nothing had happened; behind Shinn mechanics were continuing with their work, moaning because they had to somehow fix the Justice; in front the officers turned back to matters of the ship also.

"Yzak, we've finally managed to get in touch with Orb" Captain Yamato was saying "Cagalli has opened her first port for us and is waiting. I want the ship to arrive as soon as can be"

* * *

><p>And so we finish another chapter. Chapter seven already, impressive...well, for me anyways. I all hope you enjoyed the chapter, writing the battle scene was a bit tricky. I'm not really big on warfare and I don't watch that many war programs - Gundam SEED being one of two exceptions.<p>

Please leave a review and give me an opinion.

Next chapter should be up soon, I have an idea I'm working on already. I shouldn't be spending so much time on this story, but I get bored at work.

Thanks for reading!

Kiki

Kizzes!


	8. Turned Away In Dread

Hey everyone! So here we are again! Yay!

I'm not sure about this chapter. Some of you may think I've made Shinn a little OOC. I hope not, but this was an idea I couldn't get out of my head and I wanted Shinn to do something drastic.

Anyway.

Disclaimer: I do not own Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny, nor any of its characters.

WARNINGS: Some Natural/Coordinator discrimination. Grammar? Still a mystery to me, I am learning.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Silver And Gold<strong>

**Chapter Eight: Turned Away In Dread**

"I don't get why you're so angry," Lunamaria said as she brushed her sister's hair and gathered it in her hands "you got away with it…again"

"I don't need their charity!" Shinn snapped over his shoulder; he was lying on Lunamaria's bed facing the wall and his back to the girls, moodily he flung his fist in to the pillow and added, "I don't need their understanding either!"

"So you want to be punished?" asked Lunamaria lifting her eyebrows "the way I see it, you got off pretty lightly. No punishment at all?"

"Oh I'm punished alright!" Shinn sneered, "I could say goodbye to any mobile suits!"

"Huh, why?"

Angrily Shinn sat up and twisted round to face her "because Commander Joule won't let me near one! He'll be so wrapped up in the fact that I let his precious friend get hurt he won't trust me out on the battle field again! All because of stupid Athrun!"

He caught the look of surprise on Lunamaria's face and deflated somewhat.  
>"Don't look at me like that" he sighed heatedly "I know it's my fault alright, I'm the one that got Athrun nearly killed, I get it"<p>

"You could be a little more grateful, you know" Lunamaria held up her hand as he snarled at her "just hear me out, this could have gone a lot worse. Athrun could be dead for one, for another you could be locked in a cell right now"

"Captain Yamato already made it clear he wasn't locking me up" Shinn fell back in to the bed, hands behind his head.

"I'm not talking about him, I'm talking about Athrun" Lunamaria let go of her sister's hair gently and sat down on her bed beside Shinn "he could have been mad, very mad, he could have had Orb arrest you on intent to harm, or even treason!"  
>"How could he accuse me of treason, I'm not Orb!"<p>

"But we're at peace, Shinn, anything could upset it at any moment. We all know that, Athrun especially" she sniffed "I think you were damn lucky he didn't press charges" she looked down at him "don't you think?"

Shinn cleared his throat and avoided her gaze "I'm not thinking about that"

Lunamaria sighed and stood up again "just like you're not thinking about Rey, you mean?"

Shinn turned his head back sharply "what's that-"

The speaker crackled.

"_Lunamaria, are you in?_"

"That's all I need" Shinn groaned sliding down the bed feeling more annoyed.

Lunamaria on the other danced over to the door, Meyrin turned in her seat quickly "of course, Athrun, come on in!"

There was a moment's pause and Shinn wondered if Athrun was considering the same thing he'd thought about when he'd hesitated from coming in; it wasn't unlike Lunamaria to be prancing around in her underwear and still assume herself to be decent. Most men had no problem with that; guys like Athrun and Shinn found themselves extremely flustered when the situation was thrust upon them.

However, apparently Athrun deemed himself brave enough to risk it; the door opened and he peered in "Meyrin, you're here too"

"Shouldn't you be resting?" Meyrin got out her seat and went to him "didn't the doctors say you should rest as much as possible?"

"A little exercise won't hurt, I get fidgety if I rest too long"

"Bully for you" muttered Shinn under his breath.

"Well you look a lot better" Lunamaria was saying, "they really managed to make the injuries on your face disappear completely and quickly too"

"Yes, faster than I'd thought too"

"Are you in any pain?" asked Meyrin anxiously.

"Only a little"

"Liar" Shinn snorted.

There was a pause; Athrun looked from Lunamaria to Meyrin and then to the bed "Lunamaria, would I be right in thinking there's someone on your bed?"

"Yup, _it's_ sulking" said Lunamaria cheerfully.

"I see. In that case, I'll leave you to it" Athrun replied "I only really came to tell you that now we've landed in Orb, the inspection shouldn't take too long but I'd appreciate it if you stayed on the ship until tomorrow. Kira says you can take tomorrow off while we decide what the next step will be"

"So does Orb know where Miss Clyne is?"

"No, but they have more information for us"

"What is it?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that, it's classified"

"Can you tell us if we're going to be questioned at all?"

"Not by Orb, the inspection of the ship is only procedure, you're not under any suspicion"

"Not even after what happened to you?" asked Lunamaria glancing back at the darkened shadows of her bed where Shinn lay.

"Orb will be more interested in our opponents than anything else" Athrun said vaguely; he glanced back at the bed in search of any movement and then took notice of the protest in his muscles, maybe taking a rest wouldn't be such a bad idea. It hadn't been twenty-four hours since he'd nearly been blown apart "you have nothing to worry about" he smiled at Lunamaria and Meyrin in turn "just make yourselves comfortable for a while longer, that's all"

"You look tired" Meyrin noted, "you should sleep"

"I will, but I have some work to do first" Athrun explained, "I am an Admiral of Orb after all" he reminded himself and nodded to them "which I now have to return to"

Shinn waited; he was sure Athrun would make some comment other than his reason for coming, surely the Admiral hadn't decided to drag himself from his bed just to tell them that Orb was going to take a while with its investigations: they could have figured that out for themselves. There had to be another reason, Shinn convinced himself, Athrun had to have some other motive for coming to see Lunamaria. Or maybe his old superior had been looking for him? Maybe Athrun had wanted to talk and gone to Shinn's room to find he wasn't there and thought Lunamaria's room was the second option.

The door opened, Shinn waited still.

The door closed.

"Huh?" he lifted his head from the pillow and reached round the posts of the bed "where'd he go?"

Lunamaria looked back "he left already. Good thing too, I don't think he should be up so soon. It's barely seven hours since he came out of surgery"

"What- that's it?" Shinn asked blankly "he's gone?"

"Were you expecting something else?" she asked curiously "it's not as if he came for anything of major importance"

"I know that…" Shinn snorted, "come on! You seriously believe he came here just to tell us Orb was gonna take a while and that we couldn't leave the ship just yet! We already knew that!"

"Maybe he came to see if Luna was alright" Meyrin suggested.

"Me? Why?" her sister blinked.

"Well you are the reason he was blown up, right? He probably wanted to make sure you weren't hurt"

Lunamaria smiled and then looked at Shinn "she's probably right, you know. Athrun's kind like that, maybe he just wanted to make sure he hadn't been injured for nothing"

"And that's it?" Shinn got up from the bed, his temper flaring "what about me?!"

"What about you?" Lunamaria shrugged, and smirked "I guess you're just not that important"

"I'm the one that got him in that state! You'd think he'd have something to say about that!"

"I'm sure he understands what you did," Meyrin pointed out "in your shoes, he would have done the same thing, I bet"

"No, he took his leave the moment he knew I was in here" Shinn glowered "he's avoiding me!"

"How did you come to that conclusion?" Lunamaria asked impatiently "maybe not everything Athrun does is revolved around you"

"He didn't say _anything_ to me! He didn't even look at me!"

"I don't suppose you're his favourite person right now, he is in pain after all"

"If he's angry with me then he can say it to my face!" Shinn growled.

He marched forwards, opening the door angrily and stepping out in to the corridor; Lunamaria and her sister stuck their heads out "where are you going now?"

"I can't stand people who avoid a confrontation just to keep the peace!"

He stalked down the corridor passed two Orb officers escorted by a member of the _Eternal_, they looked at him as they passed and Shinn glared back at them in response; that's right, they were in Orb, as he stormed down this corridor they were currently seated in one of the Orb docks waiting for approval. Shinn hated it, all of it; he hated being here, he hated the Orb uniforms walking around, he just hated it. That, on top of his aggravation at Athrun and his confusion over the lack of punishment had made him mad and bitter; he was in a foul mood, and Athrun's avoidance was just the last straw.

Who did that guy think he was anyway?

Was he expecting Shinn to be grateful that he'd received no punishment?

Were they were all expecting him to be grateful?

Well he wasn't; in fact, if anything he was resentful.

As he turned the corner he spotted Athrun leaning against the banister; the Orb Admiral was probably still exhausted from his operations and injuries alike, Shinn took no notice of this fact. If Athrun was so tired then he shouldn't have got out of bed in the first place "hey!"

Athrun looked up startled, as if he'd been lost in his own world; he watched silently as Shinn strode over to him and took his place directly in front of the older Coordinator "hey, yourself" he replied calmly.

Shinn's eyes narrowed a little "are you avoiding me!" he demanded.

"If I am then I don't seem to be doing a very good job"

"Then you are avoiding me!"

"What gave you the idea I was avoiding you, I've never done it before" Athrun thought for a moment "with the possible exception of the occasion when you decided to train in the Impulse without updated configurations"

"Stop trying to be funny!" Shinn said heatedly "I want to know why you ignored me just now!"

"I assumed you wouldn't be in the mood to talk to me"

"As if I believe that! You were avoiding me, you have been since I disobeyed your orders!"

"I've been in surgery" Athrun answered with a certain amount of disbelief in his voice.

"I know that!"

"Then why do you think I was avoiding you?"

Shinn stopped; Athrun was making him feel foolish and it was his own fault, he clenched his teeth together to stop himself from snarling and saying something equally stupid "if you were in surgery all this time then what are you doing wandering around the corridors?!" he asked instead.

"I went to see if Lunamaria was ok, Meyrin too" Athrun reasoned "I heard the ship took a few heavy blows on the bridge so I was worried Meyrin had got hurt. And as for Lunamaria, she was the reason why you disobeyed my orders in the first place, it would seem silly if I got hurt for nothing, wouldn't it?"

"That's it?" Shinn questioned aloud "that's the only reason?"

Athrun looked back at him rather hopelessly "what were you expecting?"

Athrun's repetition of Lunamaria's question flared Shinn's temper again "something! Anything! I nearly killed you, didn't I! You'd think I'd get a little more of a reaction from you than complete silence!"

"Like I said, I assumed you wouldn't want to talk, if I gave you any impression of some other reason then I apologise"

"That's not good enough!" Shinn fumed "you just don't get it, do you!"

"Get what?" Athrun asked totally lost "what else are you looking for? I understand your reasoning, Kira does too-"

"Someone else who's avoiding me!"

"Avoiding you?" the older repeated, "no one's been avoiding you, Shinn. Kira's just spent the last five and a half hours with me, that's all" Athrun tilted his head "look, I know the lack of punishment is unusual and Yzak is less than happy about it, but this isn't the first time you've got away with something like this"

"So that's it, is it!" Shinn huffed bad temperedly "you're all going to treat me like I'm something special!"

"Shinn, you almost sound like you want to be punished" Athrun gave him a studied look "is it so wrong that Kira was lenient enough to sway punishment?"

Shinn gritted his teeth, he bared them angrily and tried to get the words out "don't you get it! That's what _he_ did!"

Athrun blinked "who's he?" he asked, and then considered this for a moment. Seconds later he realised what this was about "wait a minute, does this have something to do with-"

"There you are"

Athrun and Shinn turned as Kira appeared in the corridor and looked about him; Athrun suddenly looked a little guilty as the young Captain approached them, Kira stopped just short of them and folded his arms, giving Athrun the look.

"Really, Athrun, must you get out of bed so soon?" his friend sighed, on his shoulder Torii looked between them head tilting "can't you just rest for five minutes?"

"I feel fine" Athrun replied "and, I'm an Admiral of Orb so the least I can do is greet my superior…where is she anyway?"

"Cagalli has been informed about the incident" Kira replied, "she's in the medical ward visiting you"

"Ah"

Kira sighed again and shook his head "there's no hope for you" he glanced at Shinn and about the corridors "what were you doing down here anyway?"

"I just wanted to make sure Lunamaria and Meyrin were alright" all of a sudden Athrun wasn't meeting Kira's gaze at all.

Kira frowned "didn't I tell you they were? It was the first thing you asked me"

"Yes, but my memories are a little hazy" still Athrun wasn't looking back him, he knew it was a sure sign of lying but he couldn't help it "I just wanted to be sure"

"Do you not think I can look after my own subordinates?" asked Kira, feeling rather surprised and, he had to admit, a little hurt "I know they were once your subordinates, but surely…" he trailed off, and then gave the corridor a harder look as something struck him "hold on, this corridor leads to our quarters, doesn't it?" he gave Athrun a suspicious look.

"Does it?" Athrun shrugged innocently "I hadn't really noticed"

"Hold it…" Kira gasped in realisation as he suddenly twigged, he held out his hand "give it to me"

Athrun flinched, he cleared his throat "give what?"

"Your clearance in to the Orb base, give it to me"

"I don't have it, I left it in the cabinet by my bed in your quarters"

"I know" Kira answered hand still aloft "but that's exactly where you've been, isn't it?"

Athrun cleared his throat again "it's my pass" he said feebly.

"Athrun Zala, you are not leaving this ship until my head doctor has classed you as completely healthy" Kira's eyes narrowed "give me your pass, Athrun"

"Kira, we're in Orb now" Athrun protested, "I have duties to attend to"

"Athrun"

Athrun mumbled under his breath but relented nonetheless; sighing he dug in to his pocket and pulled out his pass before passing it over to the Captain ruefully. Kira took it from him and stowed it away in his inner pocket.

"This stays with me until I'm satisfied you're alright again"

"But-"

"You need rest, now go back to the medical ward"

"But there's things in Orb I need to do, reports I need to hand over and I need to talk to Cagalli directly"

"Shinn, would you escort Athrun back to the medical ward for me" Kira asked his subordinate who had been watching this exchange with wonder "I'd do it myself, but duty decrees I meet with the Princess of Orb"

"Um, yes, Captain" Shinn saluted quickly and turned to Athrun.

"I don't think I need an escort" the Orb Admiral grumbled, "I can find my way to the medical ward myself"

"I know that" Kira replied "but I also know that if I turn my back for one minute, you'll be out of this ship before I can say peace"

* * *

><p>Shinn walked through the streets looking from one side of the street to another; he was in plain clothes, but he felt as if someone had stuck a sign on his back. He knew it was stupid to be out; a few more hours and he would have had been given permission to wander the streets of Orb all he wanted, but waiting around with nothing to do had been unbearable, the way Lunamaria had spent almost an hour on Meyrin's hair had driven him mad.<p>

Still, even by his standards, sneaking out of the _Eternal_ to wander around Orb aimlessly was drastic; he wasn't even sure how he'd managed to slip pass security, either the Orb Guards weren't up to scratch or he was sneakier than he'd realised. The hour was late enough for the sun to be dipping down below the sea, some of the street lights had flickered on while others had yet to illuminate the area; absently Shinn looked down at the bottle in his hand, he wasn't much of a drinker and subsequently didn't have the skill of handling it. In spite of that fact he'd still managed to swallow a good helping and was now feeling a damn sight cheerier than he had been.

It wasn't that he wanted to get drunk, nor did he particularly want to get in trouble…he just wanted to be treated like the rest; he didn't want to be treated like a hero who was never wrong, that felt too creepy and too much like the past for him to handle. He stopped half down the street and his mind swerved to a halt with him; thinking about the past was the last thing he wanted to do right now, the past meant Rey and his family, he didn't even want to consider it. He took another swig wondering what trouble could he bring down on himself if he was caught drinking on duty.

Kira and Athrun wouldn't be able to ignore that one.

He grinned and swallowed some more; the taste wasn't exactly lip smacking, but at least it tasted better than tap water. He turned in to another street and stood for a moment, losing track of where he'd come from and where he was going; he had wanted to go to the monument and stand there for a while, but the more he drank the less inclined he was. As lightened as he was right now, he knew if he started to think about his family now his mood would darken and, just as he couldn't dampen his mood at this time, if his thoughts turned bleak he wouldn't be able to stop the sadness welling up.

He looked over the other side of the street where a gang of friends were walking along all chatting; a gang of friends, he'd never really been in a gang before, being a soldier took that sort of thing away from him and, though he'd never regretted it, there was always that part of him that had wondered what he would have become had his family lived.

Angrily he shook his head; there was no way he was going there, not a chance. Taking another determined swig he turned up a new street; he had no real idea of where he was going, this neighbourhood wasn't his and nor was it a place in Orb he'd ever been to before. The streets were quieter than the centre of Orb, but not as spaced out as his had been when he'd lived here; it wasn't totally empty, however, there were the odd couple walking down, or a few friends out for the night. Over on the bench there was a girl, older than him maybe, sitting busily scribbling on a notebook while beside her sat a camera.

A reporter maybe? Shinn smirked; just how mad would that make Athrun if Shinn got himself in the papers for being disorderly on the streets of Orb when he wasn't even supposed to be there.

She looked up as he passed giving him a rather sceptical look as she watched him do a double step to avoid some mess on the ground "someone's had too much"

Shinn looked up "that's not it at all" he said defensively "I just didn't want to step in something nasty, it shouldn't be there anyway. Doesn't Orb believe in clean streets?"

"If you're so bothered by it why don't you pick it up?" she suggested still pressing on with her work "that's if you can bend down and straighten without falling over"

"I'm not drunk" Shinn replied obstinately.

"You could have fooled me"

"So I've been drinking a little, it's not a crime now is it?"

"I never said it was" she answered finishing her writing and closing her notebook before Shinn could take a peek inside; she stood up and grabbed her camera.

"Are you a reporter?" he asked.

"Yes, and if I wasn't busy I'd have a lot to say about a guy wandering down the streets like a drunk"

"Geez, where do you get off?" asked Shinn in amazement.

She glared at him "where do I get off!" she repeated losing her temper in a flash "in case you'd forgotten, Lacus Clyne has been kidnapped!"

"Yeah, I know, I'm one of the-" Shinn stopped himself in time; when all things considered he didn't want to be identified as one of the soldiers on the trail of Lacus Clyne.

"In that case, why are you drinking at a time like this?" she demanded "don't you have any idea what consequences her kidnapping could bring! War could start up at any moment!"

"Really? I thought we were supposed to be at peace"

"Urgh, don't you-" she stopped and shook her head "I don't even know why I'm bothering, clearly peace just isn't important to you" she shrugged "but what do I care about some drunk kid on the street. Go, drink yourself in to oblivion, but when the soldiers come blaming us for Miss Clyne's kidnapping, don't say I didn't warn you"

Shinn stared at her opened mouthed; he wanted to say something condescending, something that would let this girl reporter know who exactly it was she was talking to. But he'd been so surprised by her little outburst all possible jibes just went out his head; swinging her camera over her shoulder, she gave him a look and snorted.

"Ha, it's a good thing the world isn't relying on you to get her back" she turned away "honestly, guys like you just piss me off"

"Wait a minute-" Shinn tried.

But she was already walking away; Shinn watched her go feeling somewhat deflated, he looked down at the bottle in his hand and sighed at it. Maybe this was being a little childish after all; trying to make Athrun and Kira mad enough to punish him probably wasn't the best idea he'd ever had. He'd just been driven crazy, that was all; being given leave of punishment after what he'd done to Athrun was the total opposite from what he'd expected, especially coming from Kira. He was supposed to be Athrun's best friend after all, why wouldn't Shinn expect punishment? But no, Kira had done nothing, just pushed it away under the carpet just like _him_.

That's what had got to Shinn; he didn't mind being a hero or being noticed as the good guy, then again he didn't mind getting punishment for the things he'd done wrong. And he hadn't got any punishment. After what he'd done to Athrun he deserved to be reprimanded. Drawing in breath he looked back up the street and turned around; the girl reporter was gone, and for moment the street was empty.

Starting back the way he'd come he suddenly took stock of how badly he was walking; he hadn't noticed until the girl had pointed it out to him, but now he could see he wasn't walking in a straight line and that the wall of the building next to him moved backwards and forwards.

He turned left in to his previous street and had to take a rapid sideways step to the right to avoid crashing in to someone. They gave him a funny look, but then, on realising the reason for his sideways dance, shook their heads in despair and made a muttered comment about the youth of the day. Shinn took in another deep breath and looked down at the ground beneath him; maybe if he concentrated on the ground he wouldn't sway so much.

He hadn't really realised he'd had that much. How much had he had anyway? There had been the first bottle of something, he couldn't remember what; after that had come the two cans followed by a free can given to him by the shopkeeper and the extra bottle he'd downed half of. It didn't sound like much, the bottles hadn't been enormous; maybe it wasn't much for the average alcoholic, but for a first time drinker it didn't sound like such a good idea.

"Ah geez"

He wouldn't have thought buying alcohol was so easy, especially seeing as he wasn't from Orb and in fact a soldier of Zaft, but the shopkeeper hadn't even asked for ID. Now Shinn was walking down the street trying not to walk in to anyone; it wasn't as easy as he'd imagined, suddenly people were just _there_ getting in the way, and the next thing Shinn knew he was walking straight in to someone.

He slammed in to them and stumbled back in surprise; hazily he looked at the bottle in his hands and wondered if it were possible that alcohol could blur his vision to the extent he could miss an entire human being. He hadn't thought he was that drunk.

That wasn't the opinion of the other, however.

"Hey, watch where you're going!"

There were two of them Shinn noticed now; one that was pressing a hand to his head and clearly the one Shinn had crashed in to, while the other stood next to him with concern.

"Come on, Kuzzey, I'm sure he didn't mean it"

"I wasn't looking where I was going" Shinn mumbled.

"No, you were looking at the ground!" the one named Kuzzey agreed, he glared sullenly "damn Coordinator"

Shinn blinked.

"Kuzzey" his friend warned.

"Did I walk in to the wrong country or something?" asked Shinn "because I could have sworn I was in Orb"

"Doesn't mean you can go barging in to people!" snapped Kuzzey, when his friend tried to grab him he snarled and wrenched away "get off, Sai!"

"This is neither the time or the place" Sai insisted, "we've all been drinking-"

"That doesn't excuse your friend's tone" interrupted Shinn coldly; he looked at Kuzzey challengingly.

"I'm only mad because you walked in to me, creep!" Kuzzey growled, "if you'd been looking where you were going this wouldn't have happened!"

"Who said anything about it being completely my fault" Shinn shot back "maybe if you'd paid attention to where you were going you might not have crashed in to me!"

Kuzzey scoffed "are you blaming me!" he flushed in anger "typical of a damn Coordinator!"

"What's that supposed to mean!"

"You're all the same! High minded sly jerks that think that just because they were genetically created or whatever they go around bossing us Naturals about!"

"You've got some nerve! You think Coordinators are sly, we're nothing compared to what you Naturals are like, some of the things you've created during the wars are barbaric!"

Kuzzey glared "we had to protect ourselves from the likes of you!"

"That's enough, Kuzzey!" Sai protested, "lets go!"

He was ignored

"From us?!" Shinn repeated hardly dare believe his ears "we never did anything wrong! We just wanted to live! You're the ones that went and blew Junius Seven, you're the ones that started this entire war!"

"Hey!" said Sai in a sharper voice stepping between the pair "keep your voices down, you're attracting attention!"

Shinn glared at him "why are you looking at me!" he demanded, he pointed at Kuzzey "he's the one you need to keep in line! In case you forgot, we're in Orb; this place promotes harmony between Coordinators and Naturals. You can't go around accusing people like that!"

"I didn't imply that I was blaming you" Sai replied calmly "I just think you both need to walk away from this"

"Walk away from him!" Kuzzey growled, "after what happened to my parents! No way!"

"Kuzzey, this guy did not have anything to do with your parents"

"He's a Coordinator, just like the rest!"

"Shhh!" Sai took his arm "I thought you'd stopped talking like this already! You'd said you'd be fine if we came to Orb"

"Yeah, well it was a mistake!" Kuzzey snapped "my parents were killed by Coordinators, and that's something I'll never forget!" he glared back at Shinn "it's all your fault!"

Sai winced and tugged at Kuzzey, trying to pull him away "please ignore him, he's been drinking and he's still shocked about his parents' death"

"No, it's fine" Shinn replied his anger dissipating quickly "I know it hurts and-"

"Hurts, huh?!" Kuzzey almost laughed, "what would you know about pain! Coordinators don't know pain or loss! You're just a bunch of artificially made people made to try destroy the real humans of this world!"

Something inside Shinn snapped.

"Kuzzey, NO!" Sai shouted aloud, horrified.

* * *

><p>Dreams were always going to be a problem; being a soldier, a legal murderer was always going to bring its side effects, especially to a questioner like Athrun. The time around Nicol's death had been the worst; over and over again that smiling face had floated in Athrun's head, his voice echoing between the Coordinator's ears as they made plans to attend a concert on their next return to the Plants. But that had never happened, Kira had killed him and Athrun had lost a friend; how he'd ever managed to look Nicol's father in the face he'd never been able to figure out. Why Nicol's father didn't blame him was also a mystery to him.<p>

But Nicol's father had been at peace with his son's death, hadn't he? Because Athrun had taken revenge; yes, he'd done that alright: taken revenge on his own best friend when in fact it was his fault Nicol was dead in the first place. Every time the Orb Admiral thought about it the whole memory made his head ache; all of it was pain, grief bottled up and pushed down with the misery of his own mother. And oh how it hurt him still. Not that he told anyone, no one.

That pain of loss was the one thing he couldn't talk about with Kira. How could he? Kira didn't know what it was like to look up at a TV screen in the middle of the street and realise that he would never see his mother again. They'd never really talked about Athrun's mother at all, it had always been a subject Athrun kept to himself and Kira had never seemed prepared to open that bottle of poison with his friend. Maybe because he hadn't been there when Lenore Zala had died; sometimes Athrun wished he had been there, maybe then Athrun's pain wouldn't have turned in to the bitterness Lacus had once seen written across his face.

It wasn't as strong as it had once been, Athrun's pain had numbed with time and his need for peace had overcome any thoughts of revenge; not that there was much revenge he could have, the man who had given the affirmative for the destruction of Junius Seven was dead and there would be very few humans out there willing to admit they were a part of Blue Cosmos. Therefore what revenge could Athrun have? Very little if not none; he'd been smart enough to see that holding on to his anger would only destroy him, rather it was better to let go and save the rest of the world so that pain like that never happened again. It was the only thing he could do.

But it didn't stop the pain from resurfacing every now and then; sometimes in a dream, or in the comment of another, maybe when he was walking with Kira discussing some past memory, out that pain would come appearing as if from mist in to the clear light of-

"Hey, Athrun"

A hand gently shook his shoulder.

"Athrun"

His eyes snapped open and he was struggling to a sitting position ready for battle when Kira stopped him.

"Whoa, it's me" his friend said quickly.

Athrun looked at him as if seeing him for the first time; his mind still fuddled with sleep, he could have sworn he'd heard Kira crying only moments ago or maybe it had been his mother he'd heard, he cleared his throat "Kira…" he looked about him "where am I?"

"In the medical ward, remember, on the _Eternal_" Kira looked at him closely "were you dreaming just now?"

"Yeah…no" Athrun shook his head firmly his fingers dragging down his face to rid the notion of sleep "it's nothing" he said in a clearer voice "I'm fine"

Kira looked unconvinced "are you sure?" he asked doubtfully "you were sleeping pretty heavily there"

"No, really it's all good…I was just-" Athrun broke off when he noticed for the first time that Lunamaria was standing behind Kira. Taken aback by the intruder in to their conversation he suddenly took interest in the scene before him.

Kira was sitting by the bed on a chair, the same chair he'd used for the five hours he'd stayed with Athrun while waiting for the reassurance that all was well; Athrun himself was sitting up in bed, dressed only in t-shirt and trousers feeling a little sweaty and rumpled. Lunamaria stood behind her Captain looking anxiously from Kira to Athrun with her hands clasped tightly together.

Athrun blinked "is something wrong?" he enquired slowly "what's happened?"

Kira sighed "it's nothing to really worry about…I think…" he trailed off wondering if this statement had any truth in it or if he was merely trying to convince himself.

"Kira?" Athrun looked back at Lunamaria.

"It's Shinn," replied the Captain "Luna came to me about half an hour ago to tell me he'd gone missing"

"Missing?" repeated the Orb Admiral "what do you mean missing?"

"He's not in his rooms, nor in the firing rage or the cafeteria"

"Maybe he's on top of the ship?"

Kira shook his head "we've searched the whole ship, he's not anywhere"

Athrun thought about this and gave Kira a look "you think he left the ship and went in to Orb, don't you?"

"It's the only explanation I can think of" Kira nodded "and after we found his uniform hanging in his wardrobe, I'm almost certain"

"That's all we need" Athrun muttered, "what do you want me to do?"

"I need permission to go in to Orb" Lunamaria answered quickly "I'm pretty sure I can find him in time, or find someone who's seen him"

"But Zaft soldiers need permission of the superior Orb officer to leave the ship before it's been given the all clear" Kira continued "and with an Admiral on board all Orb representatives we've talked to have stated they're not doing anything without your permission" he shrugged helplessly "I'm sorry, I didn't want to wake you"

"No, forget that" Athrun shook his head, secretly pleased he'd been brought from his slumber "trust Shinn to cause problems at a time like this" he looked up at Lunamaria "any idea why he's done this?"

"He's been acting strange all day" she replied worriedly "ever since we had that battle he's been up and down like frigging yoyo"

"Has he told you what's bothering him at all?"

She shook her head "only bits, he seemed pretty pissed that you and Captain Yamato…" she stopped unsure whether she should say the next part or not, feeling a little out of place she finished "he's been brooding over what happened to you, I don't think he feels very good about it"

"Maybe he's worried about the threat of war" Kira proposed.

"No, this more personal" Athrun replied as an idea that had approached his head earlier came back to him with more force "this is more to do with you and me than anything else"

"With us?" asked Kira "why? What have I done?"

"It's more a case of what you haven't done" Athrun straightened in his bed and stretched slightly, testing his muscles and body in general "and in my case it's what I didn't see, which in truth I should have seen"

"Meaning?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I think it needs to be me that looks for Shinn"

"What?" said Lunamaria surprised.

"I think we need to have a talk" Athrun rubbed the side of his head still judging the condition of his body; he didn't feel that bad, then again he hadn't taken the risk of standing up yet.

"Wait, you're in no condition to go looking for him" Kira vetoed "maybe this is about his parents rather than us, if that's the case he'll be at the monument, won't he? I should go instead"

"No, I don't think that would work"

"I am his superior officer"

"True, but it wasn't always you, was it?" Athrun reminded him "at one time it was me, and I'm starting to think I didn't handle the position very well"

"You were just fine" Lunamaria protested, "Shinn was just being a pain"

He smiled at her "thank you, but still, I think I'm the only one who can sort him out. There's something bothering him and I think I know what that is"

"Maybe you could tell me" Kira persisted "if I understood then I could talk to him instead"

"It's possible, but as you said, you're his superior. If a soldier of yours goes AWOL on duty then you're obligated to punish him right?"

"Ah, I hadn't thought of that" Kira bit his lip "I guess punishing him can't be avoided now"

"Which is exactly what he's looking for" Athrun pushed his covers back and placed his feet firmly on the floor, so far so good "if he returns of his own accord then the punishment will be less severe than if someone from Zaft has to go out and find him"

"But you're going out to find him" Lunamaria pointed out.

Athrun smiled again "I'm not Zaft"

"It's not much of a loophole" Kira worried "Yzak will see right through it"

"But it's a loophole nonetheless" Athrun pushed himself up from the bed and stood slowly "and it has to be me that goes after him, I'm the only one who really knows what's going on in his head"

"And what is that?" asked Kira standing up also in case he had to take Athrun's weight.

"This is about what is happening now and what happened last time, it's nothing to do with his parents or Orb"

"Are you sure about this?" Kira lifted his arms quickly when Athrun looked likely to topple "trying to lessen Shinn's punishment isn't half as important as you getting your strength back"

"The doctors have worked wonders, there's a few stitches in my leg but my shoulder and face are perfection itself" Athrun assured him "and I've slept, trust me I feel just fine"

"Look, maybe I should go anyway" Lunamaria said quickly "surely the punishment won't be as bad if I went instead of the Captain"

"You're still Zaft, and you're not cleared to go wandering around Orb just yet"

"But you can give me the clearance, right?" she searched through her uniform "I still have the letter you gave me"

"That clears you for Meyrin, not Shinn"

Kira meanwhile was frowning, he gave Athrun a long look watching as Athrun turned to reach for his clothes; these were some ordinary clothes which had been left for him when he awoke, his uniform had been taken to be cleaned on Cagalli's orders. Kira turned to his subordinate "Luna, would you give us a moment?"

She looked from Kira to Athrun and nodded "yes, Captain" she turned to go and paused, turning back she began to ask "about Shinn…"

Kira smiled "don't worry, I have no intention of being hard on him. I know Orb is a sensitive place for him; I'll probably have to lock him up for a while but nothing more. Thank you for telling me about the situation"

Looking slightly more reassured she turned back once again and with one last wave to Athrun left the medical ward; as the door opened Meyrin could be seen standing in the corridor peering through it nervously trying to see what state Athrun was in. Kira waited for the door to close again before making sure he and Athrun were the only ones in the medical ward, the doctors were currently giving their report on the operations they'd performed on Athrun to the Orb authorities.

"Why are you doing this?" Kira asked.

Athrun turned as he struggled in to his jacket "for the reasons I've stated obviously"

"Is Shinn not being punished really so important? I don't think so, and you're not in any state to go wandering around Orb just for that reason"

"I won't be wandering, I'm an Admiral of Orb, I think I can probably manage getting myself a car" Athrun replied wondering on whether he should take a weapon.

"Still, you've been injured" Kira persevered "you might not be up to it, and I could find Shinn just as easily"

"I doubt that. I don't think Shinn will be at the monument like you think. As I've said this isn't about his family"

"Then where do you think he is?" asked Kira puzzled.

"I'm not sure, but being an Admiral I have eyes everywhere in Orb, I'll find him soon enough" Athrun turned away to affix his gun anyway, he might be in his own country but with the threat of war he just couldn't be sure what might happen. Maybe the day would come that no one in the world had to walk around with a weapon, that was a nice thought.

"Athrun, is this really about lessening Shinn's punishment?" Kira repeated his earlier question.

"Of course"

"Are you lying to me again?"

"Kira!" protested his friend.

"I'm sorry, but I just don't think you're telling me the whole truth. Why are you so desperate to find him yourself?"

His back still to Kira, Athrun paused in what he was doing and his shoulders dropped in a sigh "because this time I need to do a proper job of saving him" was the reluctant answer.

"Save him?" Kira reiterated, "I don't understand"

Athrun turned back to him to explain "back in the second war I had time after time to stop Shinn from following Durandal's decisions, and I was too late. Partly because I believed in Durandal myself, though mostly because I had to sort my own head out" he looked back at Kira who still watched him "but by the time I'd realised that Durandal was up to no good, Shinn was far too willing to believe in everything the Chairman said, every time I tried to talk to him Rey or the Chairman's words always got in the way and in the end the only way to save him was to blow his mobile suit apart"

"Athrun, it was never your job to save Shinn" Kira replied "and Durandal is no longer in the picture, you don't have to save Shinn from him anymore"

"No, this time I have to save him from himself, which is possibly more important"

"But-"

"No, I let him down, Kira, and I won't do that again"

"It's not your job anymore, Athrun, I'm his superior now"

"I know that, and the last thing I want to do is to ruin whatever relationship you and Shinn have" Athrun assured quickly "but Shinn and I have certain things between us we haven't faced, and it's about time we did" he sighed heavily and looked at Kira "do you understand?"

Kira hesitated and thought, but nodded slowly anyway "I understand why you think you have to do it" he answered though privately he disagreed on the matter "but how are you going to find him?"

"Simple" said Athrun grimly "follow the trail of insulted and angry people"

* * *

><p>And there ya have it. I know Shinn is very unlikely to go and get drunk just to piss Athrun and Kira off. But he does have reasons which will come to light in the next chapter, you had a couple of clues in this one. And yes, I'm taking a break from the whole Lacus kidnapping, I want to focus a little on Athrun and Shinn...otherwise I'll be on chapter 100 before any romance emerges.<p>

Oh, and just so you know. Kuzzey might be a bit OOC too, but he has a purpose in this story and I haven't just randomly popped him in. I have reasons.

Anyway, next chapter Athrun will find Shinn. BIG fight coming. Oh yeahhhh! :D

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, please leave a review with a comment or two.

Thanks for reading!

Kiki

Kizzes!


	9. When The Truth Is Faced

Hey guys. So I want to aplogise to those people I promised. I told you I would have this chapter up in August and I'm very well aware that it is no longer that month. I can only say that sometimes life gets you down, you lose a job, a friend hurts you, whatever, and sometimes writing just becomes very difficult. When I'm down all I want to do is watch movies - which is what I've been doing. Seriously, I must have watched a grand total of twenty movies in the last month; that's more than I watch in a year.

Never mind. Anyway, so that's the basis for why I'm so late with this chapter.

But on to better things. I know a couple of you have been wondering when Athrun and Shinn will be breaching the more phyiscal side of romance and I can promise you it's soon. I will just point out that this is probably one of the most slow moving stories I've ever written, so if you're expecting Athrun and Shinn to suddenly fall crazily in love then it's not going to happen. There will be issues, problems and arguments mixed up with their growing attraction. It's just how I judge Athrun and Shinn's relationship to be.

That, and I just love prolonging it all :D

Back to this chapter. There is some movement as to how they behave around each other. And Shinn is going to be held accountable for his actions, but not before Athrun's had his say.

Last time: Shinn had gone out drinking in Orb while he was on duty. He'd walked in to Kuzzey who seems to be hostile towards Coordinators despite being in Orb. Kuzzey's behaviour will be explained in the next chapter. Athrun had gone after Shinn.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Silver And Gold <strong>

**Chapter Nine: When The Truth Is Faced**

The streets of Orb were quiet, especially on the edges; Athrun sighed patiently as he turned slowly down one street and then another. At first his sources hadn't been able to come up with anything; no one had been expecting a young Zaft soldier to appear on their streets without permission and because Orb attracted all to its lands, no one thought anything of a Coordinator walking down the streets. But Athrun wouldn't have made a very good Admiral if he didn't have eyes everywhere and a trick up his sleeve; it wasn't often he called Miriallia Haw because she was clever and always searching for ways to make him slip up.

It wasn't often she was able to twists his words around against him because Athrun too was smart, but that didn't mean he didn't find it irritating. Being a reporter Miriallia was always on the look out for a good story, though, in fairness to her she was one of the more moral ones who kept closer to the truth; however, she was crafty in the way she went about her search for a good story. Unlike other reporters Athrun had snugly in his pocket she didn't always write her reports the way he would have liked them.

Not that he really minded that much; if every single reporter wrote that all the politicians of Orb were perfect all the time then very soon the people would become sceptic and stop believing. That being said, Athrun hadn't been too appreciative when the story of Cagalli's relation to Kira came out; it hadn't been catastrophic but there were now those who were a little less receptive to Cagalli because they believed she was biased.

But there hadn't been anything Athrun could have done to stop it and, after an argument with the rouge reporter, the matter had been dropped and Miriallia had been given leave to write whatever she wanted; the only thing Athrun insisted on was his identity, he'd been quite clear on that and had given several reason why his real name should stay out of the papers. The young reporter hadn't really given her consent to this pressured request, but seemingly she had agreed with some things he'd said because as of yet Athrun wasn't being arrested and accused of spying.

He wondered for a moment if that would truly happen.

Would he really be classed as a spy if Orb found out he was in fact Athrun Zala, son of Patrick Zala?

It hadn't happened yet at any rate and there were times when Miriallia proved her usefulness to Athrun; now would be a prime example, Athrun didn't know how she'd done it but within seconds of calling her he'd gained the name of the three most likely streets Shinn would be wandering up and down. Athrun had been pleased with this, thinking this would be all over within an hour and he could return to the _Eternal _to attend the meeting Orb had arranged with the Zaft ship.

That had been until Miriallia had mentioned Shinn was drunk.

Athrun had made her repeat herself twice before he actually believed her.

He hadn't believed it the first time he'd heard it and he wasn't sure he believed it even now; the notion of Shinn with alcohol in his system was just one that had never crossed the Admiral's mind before. He'd always believed Shinn took his soldier duties too seriously to consume booze even when off duty. Now, if Shinn was drunk as Miriallia said he was, it left Athrun with more than one problem.

A soldier drinking on duty was a punishable offence.

One both the Zaft and Orb army took seriously.

"Shinn, what is going through your head?" he murmured to himself as he turned his car in to a new street; he could only hope that Shinn had kept himself to himself and hadn't bothered anyone.

That hope promptly _died_ the moment he turned in to the street and brought his car screeching to a halt.

Well, there was good news at least.

He'd found Shinn.

Unfortunately, the way things were heading, it might have been a better idea to class Shinn as MIA and pretend not to know anything of the situation.

Athrun sighed heavily.

He could only thank the skies above he'd come in plain clothes rather than his uniform; if he'd come as the Admiral of Orb, Princess Cagalli's right hand man, he could only imagine the news headlines that would have hit the papers the next morning. He cringed at the very idea. He could only hope that no one recognised him now.

"I should have left him in space when I had the chance"

Mumbling irately he opened his car door and stepped out gingerly, still not feeling in top form despite the rest and medication he'd forced down his throat. Slamming his car door shut he made his way over to the small crowd that had gathered about the scene; cursing Shinn under his breath and wishing he'd persuaded Yzak to come with him, he pushed his way through the throng with various polite pleas to get their attention.

As he reached the front of the small crowd he was less than pleased to find Miriallia at the centre of the commotion busily snapping pictures with her camera. He frowned; the situation was getting out of hand and quickly he checked to see if any one else had a camera ready. He was relieved to see there wasn't; rumour in the streets was small price to pay if he managed to keep this out of the papers.

The first thing he did to rectify the situation was smartly take the camera from Miriallia's hands; she fought back at first, but on seeing him wisely let go of her machine.

"You look terrible" she said.

Athrun ignored her "I'll be taking care of this" he replied stowing the camera away in his jacket "you'll get it back the moment those pictures are deleted"

"Hey, the public have a right to know what's happening on their own streets" she protested "you said I could have a free hand in whatever story I found"

"Yes, I did. Just not this one" Athrun answered "the last thing we need is a story to get out that Zaft soldiers fight with Orb civilians, it wouldn't do our peace treaty any good and you know it"

Having said his piece he turned at last to the cause of the commotion; Shinn was standing one foot away from another young man, both were snarling at each and grappling to get to the other. The only one standing in their way was a third young man struggling desperately to keep them apart. From somewhere in the crowd there was a small echo of encouragement to the angry pair and Athrun wondered if he should have brought reinforcements.

However, in two strides he was over there and, grabbing Shinn by the back of his top, dragged the younger back swinging him round until he hit the wall; Shinn wrestled with his attacker from behind, anger still blazing in his eyes as he assumed it was another Natural come to help his friend. An arm pressed up against his neck and a pair of intense eyes stared in to him.

"That's enough!" Athrun pushed Shinn harder "calm down!"

"-What!" Shinn panted, taken by surprise, he pushed against Athrun "what are you doing here?!"

Athrun glared "what am _I_ doing here? I could ask you the very same thing! What the hell do you think you're doing!"

"Ha, so the Coordinator got himself a friend!" shouted a voice over his shoulder "going to gang on me now are you!"

Athrun turned around not letting Shinn go as the younger bristled in accordance to this jibe; Shinn's would be opponent was pushing against his own friend who was having more success at keeping him at bay now he didn't have a ferocious Coordinator to contend with. Athrun pressed a hand against Shinn's chest.

"Do not move from this wall, that is a _warning_. Understand?"

Shinn scoffed "what are you going to do?" he jeered.

He was ignored, however, as Athrun turned to face the reason for Shinn's fury; by this time the small gathering around them had started to dissipate now that someone had arrived to obviously break them up, only Miriallia stayed behind rushing over to the struggling boys that Athrun now approached.

Athrun watched the three struggle together, trying to keep the middle one under control as he wrestled to break free "let him go" said Athrun.

"What are you going to do!" spat the object of his focus "going to get your little friend over there to pin me down while you beat me up!"

"What is your problem, you ass!" Shinn growled from over Athrun's shoulder "you've no right to talk to us like that! We're in Orb!"

"Shinn, be quiet" Athrun ordered.

"Hey, who said you could-"

"Would you knock it off!" the Admiral snapped looking back over his shoulder at the younger Coordinator "I won't tell you again"

He waited for the next angry comment, but nothing came and Shinn reluctantly leant back against the wall tapping his bottle against it as if to relieve the tension; turning round once more Athrun repeated "let him go"

"Think you're so confident, don't you!" the middle one sneered as Miriallia let him go with a look of doubtfulness.

"What's your name?" asked Athrun lightly.

"Why should I give my name to some random Coordinator creep like you!"

"Kuzzey" Miriallia warned "knock it off, what's gotten in to you?"

"Kuzzey is it?" Athrun heard, he nodded his head in greeting "I'm pleased to meet you, Kuzzey" he spoke over the snort of derision his polite manner received knowing his next words would have more of an impact "just to let you know I'm not here to defend Shinn over there, I'm here to arrest you"

Kuzzey's mouth fell open "what!"

"You probably don't recognise me, but my name is Alex Dino, I'm an Admiral in the Orb army taking direct orders from Princess Cagalli herself"

Kuzzey went white.

"I thought that might shake you" Athrun said calmly, glad he had shown his rank.

"Wait a minute" Miriallia cut in "this isn't right, isn't this overreacting a little?"

"I know in the scheme of things this incident seems trivial, but I cannot consciously allow a fight between a Natural civilian of Orb and a soldier of Zaft, not when the peace between our nations is so delicate. The smallest thing could spark war and I will not stand by and let that happen"

"So you're ARRESTING me!" Kuzzey gaped, he threw out a blaming finger at Shinn "what about him!" he demanded.

"Shinn Asuka will be taken back to his ship where his Captain will deal with him" Athrun replied, "_you_ are my responsibility" he held out a hand "and you're under arrest"

"For what! Getting in to fight?!"

"Along with any other charges I can come up with"

"Wait!" the other guy stepped forwards "Athrun, please!"

Athrun was taken aback, so was Kuzzey, even Miriallia was alarmed.

The Admiral looked at the guy now standing in between him and Kuzzey "you know my name?" he was surprised, even Miriallia kept his name secret.

"Yes"

"How?"

"You probably don't remember me" was the reply "my name is Sai, I used to be a member of the _Archangel_"

"I see," said Athrun slowly now realising he did vaguely remember the guy "you're a friend of Kira's, am I right?"

"Yes" Sai nodded eagerly "and so is Kuzzey" he gestured behind him; he sighed heavily and pleaded, "look, I know Kuzzey is in the wrong here, and I'll make sure he regrets what he's done. But he's been through so much recently, to hell and back, if only you knew the whole story"

"You're asking me not to arrest him I take it?"

"Please don't!" Sai persisted "I know I'm asking a lot of an Admiral of Orb, but if you arrest him now it'll just make matters worse. I brought Kuzzey to Orb so he can forget what happened to him, not dwell on it in a cell"

Athrun paused; he knew if he were Kira he'd be letting them all go straight away with hesitation, but Athrun could not be so forgiving and he also had Shinn to consider. He could hear the Zaft soldier protesting behind him savagely under his breath; if he let Kuzzey go now who knows what Shinn would accuse him of. But then there was the issue of what he had to do as a professional Orb Admiral. Sighing, he decided the only thing to do was to let them all go. It was what Kira would be telling him, he knew that, and this guy was supposedly a friend of Kira's. What would the Zaft Captain say if he found out Athrun was arresting his friends? It was hardly promoting peace.

"Fine" he replied.

Sai's face broke out in to a smile of relief "thank you! You don't know what this means!"

"Probably more trouble" Athrun predicted, "you'd better go before I change my mind"

"Of course!" Sai grinned "thanks once again, I won't forget this!" he turned back to his friend "come on, Kuzzey, lets get out of here"

Kuzzey was frowning and his face was darkening by the minute "he's Athrun Zala?" he asked "_the _Athrun Zala?"

"Yes"

"So since when was he Alex Dino?"

"They're the same person, stupid!" Shinn sneered.

Kuzzey glared angrily "some Admiral we've landed ourselves with! A Coordinator who stands up for Zaft soldiers like _him_. No wonder I suppose, Athrun Zala was Zaft too after all! His own evil father was the Chairman!"

Athrun's attack was so fast Kuzzey was wrenched away from Sai's grasp and flung against the wall before he had time to register it, even Shinn was taken by surprise at the speed of the attack; Athrun's voice was low in his throat and barely above a whisper "if I was you, I'd keep very quiet and leave" he told Kuzzey "I've let you go without any charges because apparently you've got some claim of being a friend of Kira's" his eyes narrowed "be grateful and be done, because that connection won't save you a second time"

Kuzzey swallowed despite trying to look like Athrun hadn't scared the hell out of him; Sai came to his side and gave reasonable excuses for him, as normal. However, it was still a moment before Athrun let go and backed off refusing to take his eyes from Kuzzey until he'd reached Shinn's side. Shinn came halfway to stand next to him, feeling a little lost in the dark look he was given when Athrun returned his gaze.

"Shinn, get in the car"

The crowd had completely left, so none of them had seen Athrun's rebuttal against Kuzzey, on the other hand it meant seeing the car and reaching it became a lot easier than it had been on Athrun's arrival. Shinn obeyed without question, which was unlike him to say the least; something about Athrun's demeanour told Shinn that a lecture was coming, and it was going to smack down on his head harder than some of the others he'd had to endure. It was better to get it over with as quickly as possible rather than prolonging the whole experience - time to accept his punishment.

This is what he'd wanted after all.

Though he hadn't expected that Athrun would be the one to find him.

"Makes sense though," he muttered to himself grabbing the car door and pulling himself in to the passenger seat "it always is him"

He watched through the front window mulishly as Sai grabbed Kuzzey and started pulling him down the street almost savagely; Shinn smirked, he had to admit that Kuzzey had managed to get in a few random punches but he'd been nothing compared to Shinn's standards. Athrun would have been able to wipe the floor with him and should have done in Shinn's opinion. There was only two left standing in the street, Athrun who was making sure Kuzzey wasn't coming back for round two and that female reporter that had snapped at Shinn earlier. Interestingly enough, she seemed to know Athrun. She was walking alongside him to the car in any case.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't make this in to a story anyway" she was saying.

"I have your camera" Athrun answered.

"It wouldn't make big front page news so they might not want a picture" she argued back digging in to her pocket and pulling out a small black object "and I have a recording of the whole scene"

Athrun stopped in his tracks; quietly he turned to her and held out his hand "please, Miriallia, there are other things I have to do before this whole fiasco can be put to bed. Don't make this in to a scene"

"Why shouldn't I?" she reasoned "don't the public have a right to know that Zaft soldiers get in to fights with civilians and had to be thwarted by an Admiral"

"Shinn was drunk, you said so yourself"

"That doesn't excuse him!" now Miriallia showed a little more of her temper "he attacked Kuzzey, Sai was there!"

"But you weren't" Athrun pointed out.

Now Miriallia really did look mad "so now you're calling Sai a liar! I guess you don't believe he knows Kira either!"

"Of course I believe he knows Kira, I even remember him" the Admiral said patiently "but _I _know Shinn, and hot-headed as he might be Shinn isn't in the habit of randomly attacking people, not without being provoked"

"So we should just wash all this away because you know him?!"

"Stop taking the high ground" Athrun frowned at her "are you angry because this Kuzzey is one of your friends?"

"Sai too!" Miriallia reminded him fiercely "and I won't let them be blamed for something they didn't do just because you know the brat over there!"

"I'm not blaming anyone, the only thing I'm thinking about is what would happen to the peace between Orb and Zaft if this story got out. If I'm honest, I'm surprised you're not thinking along the same lines"

Miriallia stopped and lowered her gaze reluctantly "I am" she admitted fractiously "but fair is fair, Kuzzey was attacked by a Zaft soldier"

"Who is young and impetuous, and drunk for the first time in his life" Athrun added calmly; he sighed and glanced over at the young Coordinator resting in the car "please know that this isn't going to be swept under the carpet as you seem to think, but there's more to this story than you know. Orb is a difficult place for Shinn and he's got things bothering him that inspired him out on this stupid escapade in the first place" he held up his hands when she was about to speak "look, if you want someone to blame then blame me"

"Why?" Miriallia demanded.

"Because I didn't see something I should have done" again he held out his hand for the recording "please" he asked once more "this story would create more hassle than good, is that what you really want?"

Miriallia hesitated but then let out a breath and handed over the incriminating evidence "just give me the recorder back when you're done" she said grudgingly "and there'd better be a big story you can give me, or I'm not going to let you hear the end of this"

A small smile appeared on Athrun's face as he took the recorder "well…" he suggested "how about the biggest scoop of the year?"

Miriallia looked at him quickly "are you serious?! You'd actually let me follow Lacus's kidnapping?"

"I'll probably regret it" Athrun mumbled, he rubbed the back of his neck with a resound sigh "but I'll never be rid of you if I don't give you something, you'd better get in the car"

He pulled out his keys and opened his car door; Shinn looked over his shoulder as Miriallia scrambled in to the back and closed her own door behind her, he looked quickly back at Athrun with askance "what? We're taking back a reporter with us?!"

"Shinn, you have no right to make comment" Athrun replied sliding the key in to the lock "it's down to you that I have to do this in the first place, you're just lucky it was Miriallia who caught the story rather than some paper looking for the biggest scoop of their lives"

"Remind me to thank you later" Shinn growled as the car pulled off.

Athrun's eyes narrowed "I think it be wise if you kept your mouth shut and listened" he answered "have you any idea how much trouble you'll be in when we get back to the _Eternal_?"

"Yeah, a lot I imagine" Shinn smirked.

"More than a lot. You left the ship without permission when it was under confinement, you got in to a fight with a civilian not to mention being under the influence of alcohol"

"Oh please, I'm not drunk!" Shinn snorted.

"Really? I'd like to see what Yzak would say about that"

"Talking of which, why are you here?" Shinn asked in none too kind voice "this is just like before. You're not my superior and you're not even a part of Zaft"

"But I am a part of Orb" said Athrun grimly "I knew the fastest way of finding you was to look for you myself, being part of the Orb army I didn't need permission to go behind the borders of Orb and I have eyes everywhere, it took ten minutes and four phone calls to locate you. When all that was under consideration, it made more sense for me to get you rather than Lunamaria"

"So it was her who ratted me out, was it?"

"She was worried about you, she knows what Orb does to you"

"Still doesn't explain why it was you she went to"

"She didn't, she went to the person she was supposed to, it was Kira who asked for my help"

"Oh" said Shinn looking out the window and watching the scenery; he wasn't quite sure, but he could have sworn the motion of the car under him was making him feel a little ill. Ignoring this with a forced sigh he continued aloofly "I suppose Captain Yamato will be seeking your help on how to punish me too"

"I can have no part in that" replied Athrun; he slowed the car as they approached a crossing and looked both ways before continuing up the road, he paused before he spoke again and glanced sideways at Shinn "I'll do what I can alright, I'll make sure Yzak stays off your back at least"

Shinn stared at him gaping, he was so shocked at what he'd just heard it took him a moment before the anger managed to bubble to the surface "what!" he gasped "what the hell for! I don't need your help! I know I screwed up, I'm ready for my punishment, stop barging in already! Why the hell can't you just let me have my punishment!"

"Because I know why you're doing this!" said Athrun a little too fiercely "I know exactly what's going through that head of yours and let me tell you this right now, going out in to Orb and getting drunk was _not_ the way to resolve the issue!"

"Who cares what you think! What do you know anyway!" Shinn snarled back "it's always the same with you! Just because both our mothers got blown up, it doesn't mean you know everything about me! You don't know anything! You don't know what I was thinking or why I even came in to Orb in the first place!"

"You came in to Orb to get in trouble, you came here so Kira would be forced to punish you" Athrun relaxed his grip on the wheel "and this has nothing to do with your family or me, it doesn't even have anything to with the lack of punishment you received when you disobeyed orders"

"Alright then, smart ass!" Shinn challenged angrily "what is this all about!"

"Durandal" answered Athrun simply.

Shinn shrank back as if he'd been hit "what? What's he got to do with anything?" he asked quickly, trying to deny that simple one word that had caught him so completely off guard.

Athrun didn't answer immediately as he turned off one street and in to another. This was one of the bigger roads in the community and one or two cars passed the other way in to the darkening night. Coming to a brief halt at a turning point, he swung the car in to the new street and settled back on to the road.

There was a short-lived look of anger on his face as he looked ready to snarl at Shinn, but this softened when he thought about the whole mess and realised all anger was just useless "don't lie" he finally replied in a lighter voice "Durandal has everything to do with this, it's because of his treatment that you're out here, right?"

"Wrong!" Shinn denied at once.

"Am I?" Athrun stole a glance at him and their eyes met "you think I've forgotten the time you stole Stellar from the infirmary and returned her to the Earth Nations? Remind me, Shinn, what punishment did you receive for that?"

Shinn started, he opened his mouth but no sound came out, not even the stupid excuse he'd wanted to use.

"Oh that's right, you didn't receive punishment, did you? In fact you were released from the cells and returned to your normal duties as if nothing had happened, Rey too. And that's what Kira did, he let you go too…just like Durandal"

Shinn's mouth had dried at the mention of Rey, he didn't want to think about his dead friend and Athrun was creeping under his skin "I don't see the connection" he said flatly trying to seem disinterested.

"Don't you? I do" Athrun's smile had a crass edge to it "Durandal wanted you on his side, he wanted you to obey his every command without question or concern. To do that, he had to get you to like him, so he gave no punishment when you messed up, instead he told you he understood and that it was alright. But in the end, he was just using you, wasn't he?"

Shinn said nothing, gave no reply that would indicate whether Athrun was right or wrong; unfortunately for him his silence spoke louder than words and the Admiral knew the truth anyway. They drove on in silence down one road and then another, turning from left to right and then down yet another street; it suddenly occurred to Shinn that it was taking him longer to return to the ship in a car than it had to walk through the streets on foot.

He frowned "are you lost or something?"

"No"

"Then why is it taking twice as long to get back to the ship?"

"I'm taking the long way back"

"Why!" demanded Shinn suddenly suspicious "so you have time to talk me round!"

"No, to lose any camera men Miriallia called in secret when I wasn't watching, I don't want any of them following us trying to get pictures"

From the back Miriallia gaped "you really don't trust me, do you?"

"It's merely a precaution"

Shinn laughed humourlessly "anything to keep the peace right?" he said sarcastically "or your reputation, we can't have Orb knowing that one of his Admirals took the side of a Zaft soldier rather than his own civilian"

"Actually it's not my reputation I'm thinking about" Athrun replied keeping the darkening tone his voice to the bare minimum "it's you"

"Me? What do I need protecting for?"

"You really think the papers would skim over the fact you were a Zaft soldier? They'd want to know more about you, are you sure you want your entire past spread over the papers like a painting?"

Shinn grew angry again "my family has nothing to do with this! And don't you dare think you need to protect me! I don't need you to keep defending me all the time, I can look after myself!"

"Doing a fine job of it so far I see" Athrun's voice had a hardened edge to it, there was only so much patience he had "I may just remind you that you're facing time locked up in a cell for being MIA, what they'll do when they find out you've been drinking I don't know"

"I already told you, I'm not drunk!"

"I'll be sure to make that point when I speak to Kira"

Shinn glared "would you knock it off! Just get out of my face already! The last thing I want is for you to keep saving me from my own Captain!"  
>Athrun slammed on the breaks so hard the tires screamed out in protest and the car went skidding forwards out of control; Miriallia lurched forwards in her seat and almost crashed in to the seat in front of her, that would be the last she sat in the car without a seatbelt. The car screeched to a halt, and Shinn fell back in to his seat ready to give some insult when he found Athrun glaring at him.<p>

The younger tried to speak but the Admiral was faster "the only one I'm protecting you from is yourself!" he growled "what the hell are you playing at, Shinn! You leave your ship without permission from your Captain or the Orb officials, you go wandering around the streets getting drunk and finish off the whole fiasco by getting in to a fight with a civilian! You really think you would have been able to control the situation if I hadn't stepped in, you really think it would have just been Zaft who punished you!? How naïve _are_ you?!"

"I'm not stupid!" Shinn shot back furiously.

"I find that difficult to believe, because right now you're making a fool of yourself!" Athrun's glare hardened further "do you honestly think this story would have fizzed for a couple of days and then passed over?! The reporters would have been everywhere, trying to find out your name, your past, what kind of soldier you are, which ship you flew on, everything and anything about you! If this had got out they'd spin every edge they could think of including several references that Zaft soldiers weren't to be trusted behind Orb borders! Don't you realise what that could have led to?! Distrust between Orb and Zaft, arguments, debates, and questions on whether we should be working together! Dammit, Shinn, if this had swung out of control a whole new war could have started!"

"Oh please!" Shinn folded his arms and looked angrily out the window "that's worse case scenario, you're overreacting!"

"No! You're the one overreacting!" Athrun answered temper still blazing "how long have you been working under Kira?! Don't you know anything about him by now?! He shows a little compassion because he understands why you disobeyed orders and the first conclusion you leap to is that he's using you like Durandal! Kira is nothing like Durandal, and if you spent a little time facing your past instead of avoiding it you'd realise that in a second! Frankly, I can't even see how you could make the comparison between Kira and a tyrant bent on taking over the world!"

Shinn snapped.

"That's all you care about, isn't it!" he snarled back "just as long as your damn friend is understood and loved by every one nothing else in the world matters to you! Well guess what! Kira Yamato may be my Captain, but that doesn't mean I'm ready to jump on the bandwagon along with everyone else! I'm just fine with him being my Captain, but I don't see why I should be his friend too! In case you didn't notice I already have a best friend!" he grabbed the handle of the car and pushed open the door clambering out, turning back he fumed "Rey might be dead, but that doesn't mean he's not still my friend! Stop trying to make me replace him with yours!"

He slammed the door shut.

"Where are you going?" Athrun called.

"I'm _walking_ back!" Shinn shouted over his shoulder.

Athrun paused for a moment, considering his options; he also wondered if Shinn knew where he was in the first place. From the back Miriallia looked from him to Shinn's retreating back with wide eyes; she'd never seen Athrun so passionate about anyone other than Kira, it suddenly occurred to her how odd it was that Athrun was out here bothering over some soldier when he should have been at Kira's side doing everything to get Lacus back. Athrun sighed heavily and opened his door.

"Stay here for a moment, I'll be back" he told her.

Closing his car door he stepped on to the street and walked down to the small dark alley way Shinn had marched down regardless of whether it was in the right direction or not. Reaching the entrance he looked down curiously only to find that Shinn had stopped a few steps down and was leaning against the wall, apparently waiting for Athrun to drive away. This idea was confirmed in Athrun's mind when the Coordinator looked over his shoulder at his approach and glared darkly again.

"Don't you know when to quit!" Shinn berated still angry "take the damn hint and get lost!"

"You know fine well it'll take you twice as long to return to the ship if you walk"

"I'd rather walk than drive in the same car with the president of the Kira fan club!"

Athrun heaved another sighed, somewhat calmer than before "I have asked you not to talk about your Captain like that"

"You see, there you go again! I don't want to hear it! And I sure as hell don't need you _speaking_ to him on my behalf! Don't you get it, I don't want that!"

"No you want him to punish you" Athrun agreed "you want him to waste time worrying over what he's going to do with you, rather than concentrating of the kidnap of Lacus Clyne" he lifted his eyebrows.

Shinn stopped and thought about this "I-"

"Didn't even consider the fact that maybe Kira didn't need this hassle right now" Athrun interrupted "has it occurred to you that maybe he doesn't feel like he's a Captain, did it occur to you he's worrying himself stupid about Lacus? Maybe he didn't punish you for disobeying orders because it was less hassle for him as well as reprieve for you? Maybe he wasn't thinking about you at all, maybe he was just trying to ease things over so he could return to the kidnapping?"

"You're his best friend!" Shinn reminded him "and you got hurt because of me!"

"It's not the first time Kira's had to patch me up, it's not even the first time he's seen the state I'm in because of your actions. And you really think that we don't understand at all, you thought Lunamaria was in danger so you went to save her" Athrun appeased easily "for crying out loud, Shinn, if I'd left Meyrin behind when I was framed for treason who knows what would have happened to her. Whatever it was I couldn't have forgiven myself for it, Kira himself has gone against direct orders to save a girl…on more the than one occasion"

"That still doesn't change the fact-"

"Shinn, give it up, would you?" Athrun said exasperatedly "you're the one that doesn't know when to quit! Would you just listen to what I'm saying for once? I _know_ that you're worried you're going to be used the way Durandal used you, I understand that-"

"Like hell you do!" Shinn's temper sparked again, if only Athrun hadn't said he understood "you know crap! You don't know what it's like to turn around and realise you're on the wrong side, or that the person whose ideals you believed in actually turns out to be dictator! You have no idea how I feel!"

"Yes, I do, Shinn, I'm probably one of the only people who knows exactly how you feel"

Shinn's eyes burned "no, you DON'T! You're just saying that to make me calm down! You think that if you try and relate to me I'll suddenly have an epiphany and agree with everything you say!"

"That's not it at all" Athrun answered back heatedly "what I'm saying is that I know how you feel because I went through the same thing"

"Like hell you did! Our families are dead! That's the only thing we have in common!"

"Shinn-"

"I'M NOT YOU!" Shinn raged out "when are you going to quit with this whole we have so many things in common crap! When are you going to get that _I'm not like you_!"

"Yes, you are, Shinn!" suddenly Athrun was on him, grabbing him by the shoulders and holding fast, his eyes on fire "you're exactly like me and it's high time you realised that!"

"Let me go! Are you crazy! I'm not-"

"His name was Le Creuset!"

Shinn blinked and stopped wriggling "what are you talking about _now_!"

"He was my commander back in the first bloody valentine war, when I told him Kira was on the other side of the war he let me try and win Kira over to Zaft! I thought he was being understanding but I was wrong, I just didn't see it at the time. After that he made me a commander of my own group and then recommended me to the elite, he treated me like I was his favourite but in the end, Creuset was nothing more than a raging mad man bent on destroying the entire world and everyone in it. He pitted Naturals against Coordinators like they were toys and he used my own father for his own ends"

Athrun's grip on his shoulders tightened.

"That's why I didn't fall for Durandal's trick" he continued "I'm not saying that I didn't believe in what Durandal told me, in fact to this day I still believe it. But when he had the _Archangel_ destroyed I knew then he wasn't to be trusted, and I wasn't going to be used for a second time"

He looked in to Shinn's face that had turned an odd shade of shock and blankness.

"So I do know how you feel, more than most, because the exact same thing happened to me. You might not want to admit it, Shinn, and that's fine, but the truth is we're alike, in some ways we have more things in common between us than I do with Kira. Because Kira's never been used like we have, he found a ship that was willing to take him and become his friend. And, though he might know what pain is, the fact remains that Kira still has a mom waiting for him to come home"

Shinn was silent; he didn't say anything, he couldn't think of anything to say. Some part of him wanted to deny it of course; if he could make believe that Athrun was making all this up then it would be easy, but Athrun wasn't a liar and Shinn knew that much.

"That's why I came to find you tonight, to show that someone does know what you're going through" Athrun finished softly "you have to stop avoiding everything that's going on in your head, Shinn, otherwise it's just going to stay there in a confused heap clouding your judgement on everything"

Shinn had to say something, anything; just to even the ground so that he wasn't being flooded by Athrun's words that were, as always, right and closest to the painful truth as the world could get "you didn't lose a friend" he mumbled "you still have yours"

Athrun's smile was sad and small, his voice was difficult to hear "actually, we have that in common too" he whispered "I lost a friend who was very important to me, just like you"

He let Shinn go.

"We're still two different people!" Shinn answered rather louder than was necessary "it doesn't mean you know how I feel"

Athrun nodded suddenly tired after the arguing and driving "if you say so" he shook his head with some secretive thought apparently amazing him and added "now, before we return, I have one question"

"What?"

"Tell me honestly, are you drunk?"

Shinn hesitated, and then lowered his gaze shame faced "maybe a little" he muttered.

"Alright, we'll tell Kira that you hit your head"

Shinn looked up quickly "you're covering for me?" he whispered.

"Luckily Kira's as acquainted with alcohol as you are" Athrun continued like he hadn't heard "he wouldn't see a drunk man even if the guy stripped naked and threw a bottle of beer at him"

* * *

><p>"I'm still going to have to put you in the cells" Kira told Shinn as he stood at the entrance to the ship "I know Orb is a difficult place for you, but that doesn't mean you can leave like that"<p>

"I understand" Shinn replied.

From behind Kira Lunamaria peered at her comrade curiously, trying to figure out what was different about the sorry mess standing before his Captain, she nudged Athrun gently "is Shinn drunk?"

"Um…" Athrun mumbled "…he hit his head, he's probably feeling a little woozy at the moment"

"Hit his head, huh?" Lunamaria lifted her eyebrows "is that what they're calling it these days?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Kira confused.

"Nothing" Athrun assured him quickly "Shinn just caught his head that's all…it's why he's swaying a little"

Kira looked back at Shinn and observed him momentarily; Shinn, whose alcohol consumption had finally caught up with him, stood silently there trying to look ashamed that he'd left his post while at the same time trying to hide the fact he felt as green as a field of freshly cut grass. He did wish Athrun hadn't insisted in turning and twisting in to so many different streets; in his opinion it would have been better if he really had just walked.

"You do look a little pale" Kira conceded bringing Shinn back to the present "maybe you should go to the infirmary tonight, you'll have to be guarded through the night and then escorted to the cells first thing tomorrow"

"Yes, Captain" Shinn replied.

Athrun had told him to use short words, Shinn had complained at the time, professing that he wasn't so drunk he couldn't string a few words together…but that had been before they'd driven passed the sea, the undulating swelling sea. Every time he thought about it his stomach dropped several feet.

"Lunamaria, if you would escort Shinn to the infirmary"

"Yes, sir, would it be alright if I took first shift in guarding him?"

Kira was surprised, but saw no problem with this; it meant he didn't have to waste time appointing a couple of soldiers, he nodded his consent and Shinn's heart sank. It would be hours before Lunamaria stopped teasing him.

"Athrun" he beckoned to his friend as the two pilots passed him with one final salute and Shinn was escorted away with Lunamaria whose face looked ready to burst in to laughter at any moment.

Athrun took a look at his friend "you look tired" he said concerned "it's late, Kira, you should go get some rest"

"So should you" Kira shot back at him "how are you feeling?"

"I'm alright, a little tired maybe but I'll get some sleep after I've seen Cagalli"

"That's what I wanted to tell you, she's already left, she went to get a report on the latest findings"

"What!" Athrun looked alarmed, he turned about on his heel "I should go and see what-"

"She wanted you to stay here" Kira told him quickly before the Admiral had chance to march off "she says any new information will be passed on to you, but she wishes you stay with the _Eternal_"

"I see," replied Athrun, his shoulders sagged "I'm sure I've told her before not to leave orders with a Zaft Captain, there is such a thing as a phone"

Kira smiled "you know Cagalli" he chuckled "anyway, that means you can get some sleep too"

"I'll need to deal with Miriallia first," Athrun said gesturing to the reporter who stood calmly looking out at the layout around her "are you sure you don't mind her tagging along?"

Kira shook his head "I actually think it might be something we could use, there should be a room ready for her now"

"I need to inform her of some house rules first" Athrun gave a small smile "just so I can keep some form of control"

"Good luck with that" Kira muttered under his breath. He looked up in to the night sky and sighed lightly; for the hundredth time he wondered where Lacus was and hoped she was safe. Then he bade Athrun good night and walked back in to the ship.

Athrun then came to Miriallia's side; she looked sideways at him for a moment and frowned lightly "what is it?" asked Athrun.

"You didn't tell Kira about the fight" she answered.

"…No" Athrun admitted, "I didn't see the need to worry him further, he's got enough of his mind"

"I agree," she affirmed "that's why I didn't tell him either…"

"But? Is there something wrong?"

"It's nothing really…" she looked back outwards again "I've just never known you to keep a secret from Kira before"

"It was a simple fight between two idiots that had been drinking, if you ignore the uniform and different nations then that's what it boils down to. Why make it in to something it's not?"

"And that's the only reason you haven't told him?"

"Were you expecting something else?"

"…No…it's just…" she trailed off, then snapped out of it and shrugged "I am a reporter, I wouldn't be very good at my job if I didn't question things"

"That-" began Athrun.

"ATHRUN ZALA!"

"Here we go" Athrun breathed a small smile and turned to face the Commander of fury charging towards him "Yzak"

"What the hell is going on!" Yzak demanded "I've just found out Shinn Asuka went MIA! What's he doing in the infirmary when he should be in a cell!"

"He hit his head"

Yzak didn't believe that for a moment; his eyes narrowed dangerously "despite the fact I don't buy that, it's not what I really want to know. What I want to know is why the hell are you involved at all! You're NOT Zaft!"

"As you have pointed out many times"

"And why wasn't I told about this!"

"Because you're not Shinn's Captain, Kira was aware of the whole situation and has given Shinn due punishment. Everything is taken care of"

"Influenced by you no doubt!" Yzak glared "you're really over stepping the line, Zala, and it's about time you remembered which army you're in! If you make one more move to breaking in to the Zaft hierarchy then complaints will be put against you, do you understand!"

"Perfectly"

Yzak was far from satisfied with the whole thing, but he was then distracted by Miriallia "who is this!" he demanded "one of your subordinates?"

"No, she's a free lance reporter I brought with me, she'll be coming with us and being following the rescue of Lacus while reporting it back to Orb. Kira's already permitted the whole thing"

It was here Athrun made good his escape.

"WHAT!"

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><p>And there we have it. Chapter nine over and done. And chapter ten coming up. You find out a little more in chapter ten, about who stole Lacus and all. I've already got the chapter planned out so it's a case of typing it out.<p>

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry for the wait. Please leave a review and any comments.

Thanks for reading!

Kiki

Kizzes!


	10. In The Eyes Of Another Life

**Review** Replies  
>Guest: Thanks for your review. Yup, Athrun is adorable ain't he :D Shinn's a very lucky boy.<p>

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><p>Yo, ma peeps. So first of all I want thank you guys; some of the reviews I get for this fic are some of the best reviews I've had. And I've got further in this fic than I ever thought I would. AWESOME!<p>

So, turning point in this chapter. Not much of a turning point, it's only a little move - I did warn you guys that it's slow moving. But some of you seem to actually like that.

Last Time: Athrun brought Shinn back from Orb after he'd gone AWOL.

Disclaimer: (feel like I haven't done this in a while) Gundam SEED does not belong to me, nor any of its characters.

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Silver And Gold<strong>

**Chapter Ten: In The Eyes Of Another Life **

The bridge was underway with its repairs and rewiring. It had sustained a nasty attack in the explosion and would have been completely obliterated had not Deputy Trine managed to move the ship just in time. Meanwhile the _Eternal_ was receiving complete cooperation from Orb, which was helping with repairs as well as sending out radio waves in search of Lacus.

There were no sightings of the ship that had taken her, there was no sign of Lacus herself and no one had received any messages from her kidnappers; it was worrying, stomach turning, rumours and whispers that she was already dead were aloft though they were quickly talked down when voiced. It was strange, everyone agreed that; when someone had been kidnapped it made sense that the kidnapper would be in touch. It frightened the authorities from both Orb and the Plants that nothing had been done to retrieve Lacus.

Inside, Kira was frantic.

His heart was skipping at every other beat and what little contents of his stomach there was seemed ready to heave at any given moment; in truth he wanted to talk to someone about it. But Cagalli was so wrapped up in Orb business and taking charge of the search that Kira felt it was stupid to interrupt her. As for Athrun, the Orb Admiral had been so exhausted the night before Kira hadn't had the heart to wake him next morning; he'd left Athrun sleeping deeply in their shared cabin with the intention of waking him if his friend's presence was required.

If only Mu or Miss Ramius was close by to talk; then again, Kira was so twisted up in his head he didn't know where to begin. All he could think was that Lacus was gone, and he didn't know where she was or how to protect her. He couldn't even remember the last thing he'd said to her; all he'd remembered about that moment was being called from duties with the announcement that Lacus had gone. It was mind blowing. He'd felt so stunned by the news that he hadn't been able to focus for a good half hour.

And then there was the mysterious message that had been sent to Athrun; it had been the only reason why the Admiral had been at the mansion in the first place. Someone had called for Athrun at the very same time Lacus had been stolen; Kira had checked, the timeline between the two events was almost perfect. Athrun had arrived on the scene just moments before Lacus had disappeared. Surely there was a connection. But what? Of course Kira wasn't the only one to have noticed this coincidence; some had said that Athrun's very presence at the scene shrouded him with suspicion.

Kira hadn't believed this for a moment.

Despite Athrun's strange determination to protect Shinn from any blame the young Zaft Captain knew his friend was as clueless as he. Even so there had been a small investigation in to the young Admiral; for one moment Kira had been concerned that Athrun's true identity would have been revealed. Admiral Dino was popular amongst the Zaft soldiers and Plant Officials but Kira didn't know what they would do if they found out he was actually Athrun Zala, the young man who had betrayed them twice. Fortunately, Yzak had seen the path of the investigation and had stopped all proceedings before they went too far, even succeeding to ensure that Athrun himself discovered nothing of the investigation in to him.

Kira had been impressed; Yzak was a good commander, and fiercely loyal to Athrun though he'd never admit it. He was loyal to Lacus too, and Kira felt safe in knowing that Yzak would stop at nothing to retrieve her. Somehow it gave him comfort to know he had such a commander with him, even if Yzak disagreed about giving Athrun such a high hand in the command.

A throat cleared beside him.

Kira started and focused back on the said commander who had been discussing the repairs of the ship with him "sorry, what did you just say?"

"I said, with the help of Orb the repairs to the ship are taking half the time" Yzak repeated "the ship should be ready for action much sooner than we thought originally"

"…Yeah, that's good" said Kira half-heartedly.

Yzak paused in looking down at the papers before them, and glanced at the young Captain beside him "I know you're worried" he announced in a hard voice "but mulling over it won't solve a thing"

"Um…"

"You need to be more focussed," continued the commander when Kira failed to answer him coherently "you're a Captain, you can't afford to be so distracted"

His companion sighed and nodded "you're right, it's just we're sitting here doing nothing, I can't help feeling we should be doing something at least"

Yzak thought for a moment and pursed his lips "look, I'm not the one to have a heart to heart with, that's Athrun's area, but I will tell you that the chances of Miss Clyne being hurt at this moment in time are very small. It wouldn't make sense for someone to kidnap her only to kill her without telling anyone"

"That's true" Kira mused "if so, why haven't they said anything or done anything?"

"I'm sure all will be made clear given time" Yzak returned to the papers "in the mean time, we should look at suspects"

Kira blinked "I wasn't aware we had any"

"We don't, that's why we should been looking for some. And we should consider that scouting ship that was destroyed, clearly it was obliterated for a reason"

"To stop the Plants from discovering _Requiem_ was being repaired?"

"We already knew that" Yzak reminded him "that's why the scouting ship was out there in the first place. I think it's more likely the scouting ship discovered who it was repairing _Requiem_, and that's why they were all killed…which means, whoever this is wants to stay hidden, at least for now"

"That makes sense" the Captain reasoned "no one wants the whole world looking for them when they've just kidnapped Lacus"

"Which means…whoever is doing this is someone who we wouldn't suspect in the first place"

"That's not difficult" Kira pointed out "any major villain we would suspect in this case is dead"

"Uh, Yzak, can I talk to you for a moment?"

Both Kira and Yzak turned to find Dearka standing meekly behind them.

Yzak scowled "I thought I told you to call me Commander!" he snapped.

"Sure thing" Dearka replied hastily "but can I still have that word?"

"Dearka, I'm a little busy, can't this wait!" Yzak turned back to his work.

"It's important…" Dearka hesitated "I have a confession to make"

Yzak looked back again, with undeniable interest "I'm listening"

"Well…" his subordinate cleared his throat uncomfortably "the thing is…I'm drinking"

Yzak stared at him.

So did Kira.

"You're what?"

"Drinking!" repeated Dearka hastily "all the time. When I'm off duty, when I'm on duty, hell I'm even drinking on the toilet. Come on, how weird is that?!"

"What exactly is it that you're drinking?" asked Kira not quite sure he was following the conversation.

"Alcohol of course!" Dearka enthused quickly "I can't help myself"

Yzak's eyes narrowed.

"I know what you're thinking" Dearka supplied "I'm a traitor, a criminal. To drink on duty is a sin. You should send me back to the Plants right _now_"

"Dearka" said Yzak carefully "you've never been drunk on duty, not even once"

"I've been sneaking"

Yzak lifted an eyebrow: he wasn't fooled.

"What's this really about?" he asked, "come to think of it, where have you been? I haven't seen you since last night"

"…I've been hiding" replied Dearka, and then added "and drinking"

Yzak raised his other eyebrow "alright, I'm not believing any of this for one moment. What's this really about?"

Dearka swallowed.

Yzak blinked expectantly.

Dearka sighed; he hadn't expected it to work anyway "fine" he relented reluctantly "you remember I told you that I dated a Natural"

Yzak nodded, all at once there was a much-needed smile growing across Kira's face.

"You remember I told you that it didn't end well?"

"Dearka, what the hell are you babbling about?"

"Well…what I didn't tell you was that the Natural I dated was a reporter"

There was a pause.

Kira tried to keep his smile from glowing.

Yzak thought about this "the girl reporter Athrun brought with him?" he asked with a certain amount of surprise in his voice "that's her?"

Dearka nodded wearily "that's her"

"You've caught me off guard" Yzak admitted, "she seems different from your usual type, more independent"

"Oh she's independent alright" Dearka agreed with a wince.

"And you say it ended badly?"

"Yup"

"How badly exactly?"

"Is that really important?"

"Well" the commander conceded "in the great scheme of things I suppose not, but you have claimed in the past that whenever a relationship has ended you're always the one to finish it"

"Ahh…I have to admit Miriallia is the exception to that rule"

"Is that so…"

A long slow cruel smile drew spread across Yzak's face.

"I like her already"

Dearka whined "look, this is all very interesting and all, but can I get off this ship now?! …Please?"

"Oh no, _you're_ not going anywhere"

The doors to the bridge opened once more and Deputy Trine stepped in escorting two people clad in Orb uniforms; they arrived just in time to see Dearka clasp his hands together in silent plea, wordlessly begging his commander to reconsider his position and send Dearka…anywhere. Orb. The Plants. A Zaft controlled base. A tiny uninhabited planet in outer space. Dearka didn't care. Just as long as he got off this ship.

Yzak was having none of it.

"Are we interrupting something?" asked Cagalli as she joined the trio with her companion standing somewhat nervously behind her "is something wrong?"

Kira shook his head with a smile "just Miriallia sending waves of fear through the male population again"

"By the time that girl's thirty she'll have been in bed with every unmarried man in Orb" his sister sighed almost in amazement "it's actually fascinating how she manages to fit it all to twenty-four hours"

"Damn right" Kira gave a small laugh but returned to the subject pressing on all their minds "any news?"

Cagalli shook her head "nothing, I was hoping you and I, along with Commander Joule and Athrun could have a meeting to discuss what we know and how we can move this along. No one thinks for a moment that Lacus is really dead despite the rumours going round; we just need a clue to get us started. I figure there was a chance that maybe someone knew something without realising it"

"That's good thinking" Kira confirmed, "we can use one of the Captain's conference rooms"

"Good idea" the Princess of Orb looked around "is Athrun not here? I was hoping I could get his latest report"

"He's exhausted from yesterday, we had an incident that he sorted out. He was so tired I couldn't bring myself to wake him until he was needed"

"Let him sleep for another hour then, it'll take me that long to sort out all the paperwork I've got on this drama" Cagalli replied soberly "but talking of yesterday, there's someone here that would like to explain something to you"

"About yesterday?" Kira blinked "are you sure we're talking about the same thing? I wasn't aware anyone from Orb, other than Athrun, had been involved in the incident"

"You're talking about Shinn right?" asked Cagalli "he went MIA from his ship?"

"Yes, but how did you know?"

"Sai told me, he wanted to explain why the fight between Shinn and Kuzzey became so escalated"

At this Yzak turned around sharply "what fight?" he demanded.

"You mean you don't know?" Cagalli was surprised "I would have thought Athrun or Miriallia would have told you"

"Wait a minute, you're not making any sense" Kira cut her short "I don't know about any fight, and when you say Sai who do you mean exactly?"

Cagalli took a step to her left and indicated the guy standing shyly behind her; he suddenly realised that not only was Kira staring at him, but Dearka also. Yzak was watching him too, but he wasn't searching for the same recognition as the other pair.

Kira took a step forward and studied the bespectacled young man standing uncomfortably in front of him "Sai? Is that really you?" he looked different, and at the same time the face was exactly the same.

Slowly Sai gave a tiny awkward smile; three Coordinators all staring was enough to make anyone edgy, never mind Yzak's gaze was sharp enough to cut through rock "hey, Kira, long time no see"

* * *

><p>"I don't see why I'm here" Shinn sighed impatiently "I thought you were taking me to the cells"<p>

"I am" Lunamaria agreed "right after you've apologised"

"Why the hell should I apologise?!"

"You're trying to be _funny_, right?"

Shinn scowled and looked irritably at the closed door in front of him; the Captain's cabin wasn't the place he was supposed to be given the fact that soldiers were waiting for him to be locked behind bars. Yet here he was, after a serious talking to by Lunamaria, standing outside the door with his ex-girlfriend tapping an expectant foot behind him.

"Come on" she reasoned with him "it's thanks to Athrun you're not getting your ass kicked about for being drunk on duty" she gave him a prod in the back "you could at least give him a thank you, or say you're sorry for forcing him to find you when he was injured, injuries by the way that he got because of-"

"Yeah-yeah, you made your point" Shinn said mulishly "you don't have to rub it in, I owe this guy a big thank you, I get it"

"No time to waste then"

"Look, Athrun and I don't have that kind of relationship, if I just go in there on bended knee it's just going to make things more awkward between us"

"Quit with the excuses," she ordered "he put his neck out for you yesterday, and not for the first time. The least you can do is show a little gratitude to the guy"

Wordlessly cursing the girl he fell silent; there was no reasoning with her, especially when she was right. He felt the boil of annoyance again; it seemed everyone was able to talk him down because he was wrong. It wasn't as if he didn't know what Athrun had done for him, but just because Athrun had protected him _again_ it didn't mean Shinn wanted to be grateful. He hated the idea of being grateful, it made his skin crawl and being grateful to Athrun churned his stomach; it was always Athrun Zala, _why_? Whether he was fighting with someone or bonding with someone, that someone was always the same guy.

"Sometime today would be nice" Lunamaria probed "you are supposed to be locked up by now, you know"

Shinn sighed again, a deeper more resigned sigh "don't you get it" he replied "there's no point in saying anything" his hand, which had reached towards the intercom button pulled away again "no matter what we do, how we try to connect, it's always going to end up in a fight. That's just the way it is"

"Don't be stupid, the only reason why you and Athrun clash all the time is because you're so stubborn and he never gives up on you," she argued back "if anything it's his downfall, he won't give up on you and you just keep punishing him for it"

Shinn's eyes narrowed and he glowered over his shoulder at her "hey! I'm not the bad guy in this! It's his own damn fault for always trying to make me see things his way!"

"But he still protects you whether you agree with him or not" she reminded him "and why don't you try seeing things his way? You could at least make an attempt"

"No way!"

"For crying out loud, Shinn, how stubborn can a guy be?!"

"I'm not suddenly going to start acting the way he wants me to!"

"I'm not asking you to be an Athrun clone, I'm asking you to find some middle ground with him! Is that really so much to ask? Why can't you just accept that Athrun would rather be your friend than your enemy?"

"Oh please, he doesn't want to be friends, he wants me to be a good little soldier that worships Yamato every minute of the day!"

"Is that what you really think?" she asked coming to stand next to him "if that's what Athrun really wanted then why would he go out in to Orb just to find you?"

"To make things easier for his precious friend of course! He said so himself!"

"Athrun didn't put in all that effort just for Captain Yamato, he went for you, Shinn. Sure maybe Captain Yamato was part of the reason, but if Athrun didn't give a damn about you then he wouldn't have bothered in the first place"

Shinn growled, "would you stop trying to make me take his side?! I don't want to!"

"Why?!" Lunamaria asked in exasperation "what could possibly be so bad about you and Athrun actually agreeing on something for once?!"

Shinn couldn't answer; he didn't know what it was, he couldn't explain it in words. But he couldn't help the fact that the idea of becoming friends with Athrun felt so alien to him. It would just be too weird to go in there and _thank_ the Admiral for sticking up for him; Shinn had been independent for a very long time, it had always been him protecting someone else. There hadn't been anyone to protect him since his family had died; now there was someone willing to go that distance and Shinn didn't know what to do about it. He couldn't understand why Athrun would go to such lengths.

And to acknowledge that, to accept Athrun's help like that, just filled him with dread.

He couldn't do that.

He couldn't accept the fact that Athrun kept protecting him.

He didn't know how.

But he didn't know how to tell Lunamaria that; it was embarrassing to admit that the only reason why he didn't want to become Athrun's friend was because the idea gave him the creeps. He had no idea how to explain that he liked fighting with Athrun because he knew where he stood, because fighting with Athrun was the safe thing to do.

"Can I ask you something?" Lunamaria's voice made him jump.

"What?"

"If Athrun was to give up, you know, just stop trying to reason with you and let you do what you want without comment, would you like that? Is that what you want him to do?"

Shinn froze; that question was worst that her last question. How could he answer something like that? He cleared his throat "sure, that's exactly what I want him to do, I keep telling him that"

"So if you got something wrong or you needed someone to tell you when to stop and Athrun just turned his back on you instead of trying to reason with you, if he didn't even bother, that wouldn't get to you?"

Shinn had reached his limit. There were only so many awkward questions he could handle and there was no way in hell he was going to give her an answer; clenching his jaw he hit the intercom button savagely "you want me to apologise, fine. Just watch me!" he shoved his face up to the speaker "hey, are you in there?" he demanded loudly.

There was no reply.

"Guess he's not in" Shinn said quickly, turning away "oh well, better luck next time-"

"Not so fast" Lunamaria grabbed him and pulled him back "you started this, and now you're gonna finish it" she jabbed a button and the door slid open. Ignoring Shinn and his protests, she deftly held him by his uniform and, with a strength that was surprising for a girl her size, shoved him unceremoniously in to the room "call me when you're done"

Before Shinn could even move the door had shut on him.

He reached out to open it again.

"_Shinn Asuka, if you try to escape I will shoot you_" the voice crackled ominously over the intercom.

Shinn pursed his lips and thought of several things he'd liked to say to Lunamaria Hawke next time he got the chance; sighing aggressively he turned in to the room expecting to find Athrun standing at him nonplussed with one of the those small irritating questions on his lips. Therefore he was taken aback to find himself standing there staring at an empty room; for a moment he suddenly wondered if Athrun was actually in here. According to Lunamaria, Captain Yamato had left Athrun to sleep; that didn't necessarily mean Athrun hadn't woken up and left of his own accord.

Then Shinn became aware of another sound in the room.

The sound of someone's peaceful breathing.

With a sinking heart he walked to the partition wall that kept the beds out of sight; peering through the open doorway he found two beds on opposite sides of the room. The one on the right was empty and neat, but the other was an entirely different matter. With some aggravation Shinn sauntered over to this bed and stared down at the sleeper.

"Look at you" he muttered "you're exhausted, and all because you tired yourself out looking for me" Shinn snorted "what kind of idiot are you?"

He looked back down at the face; Athrun looked so peaceful and calm, there were no signs of worry provoking his features, just simple sleep. He still looked tired though, the dark shadows under his eyes were enough to explain his deep slumber never mind the fact that he hadn't bothered to undress or even clamber under the covers. It looked like he'd just found his bed and collapsed right on it.

"Guess that's my fault too, I'm the one that got you hurt" Shinn looked away feeling awkward and wondering what it was Lunamaria was expecting him to do. Did she want him to wake the Admiral up? Surely it was better to let the guy just sleep, it was clear he needed to "shouldn't have tried to do so much after getting those injuries, you weren't healed yet" the young Zaft soldier grumbled to himself scuffing his foot against the floor.

Athrun's head turned gently in his sleep, his brow furrowed downwards as if something in his dreams concerned him; Shinn rolled his eyes, the last thing he needed was to be around when Athrun Zala had a nightmare. If Lunamaria thought Shinn was going to be around to comfort the guy after a nightmare then she had another thing coming.

"This is stupid" Shinn turned away again, not wanting to look at that face again. But something stopped him from leaving right then, it made him turn back again to watch Athrun sleep a little longer. And that question that he'd been trying desperately to keep under wraps floated to the front of his mind no matter how hard he tried to stop it.

He returned to the side of the bed and looked down at the sleeping soldier.

"Was all that true?" he asked softly "all that crap you told me yesterday? Do you really understand…" or had Athrun just been trying to make Shinn return to the ship to help another friend. The Zaft Pilot shook his head; he didn't care, he decided, it didn't matter to him what Athrun thought or what he'd said the previous day. None of it mattered because Shinn just didn't care.

"We're not the same no matter what you think" he said loudly.

Athrun didn't stir; his chest rose softly and then fell once more.

"Geez, how deep can a guy sleep?" Shinn asked not bothering to lower his voice "I could draw a moustache on your face and you still wouldn't wake up"

He leant over Athrun wondering for a moment if the reason for the deep sleep was more to do with illness than exhaustion; Athrun didn't look sick, Shinn thought, it would have been obvious if the Admiral had caught a fever during the night. Didn't people sweat when they had a fever? Or roll around in their sleep?

"Not that I'm worried" he spoke down at the face "but you'd better not be dying"

Athrun's mouth parted; a single mumbled word left his lips and his face turned again. Shinn watched him; he didn't know how it had happened, but for the first time he felt like he could see the real Athrun Zala. He could see passed the soldier, the killer and the Admiral. All of that fell away to leave someone else entirely, someone who hadn't been forced in to battle because his mother had died. For the first time, Shinn knew he was looking at the Athrun who would have lived if he hadn't been a soldier.

He was willing to bet that the Athrun Zala who hadn't seen death and war would have been a pretty decent guy; he'd always thought that if his own family hadn't been massacred he would have turned in to a good guy too. Someone completely different to the Shinn that was standing there now, leaning over an Admiral of Orb lost in sleep.

Maybe in that life, if they'd ever actually met, they could have been friends.

It was there that Shinn's thoughts drifted away, floating in a world of different people who looked like him and Athrun; it felt so strange to see Athrun like this, almost surreal to not be fighting with him. Shinn wasn't aware of what he was doing, not really; all he knew was that the Athrun below him now, drawing closer as he leant further down, wasn't the Athrun Zala who had struck him after Shinn had disobeyed his orders. This wasn't the Athrun Zala who had been his commander, he wasn't even wearing his uniform: this Athrun, the one now so close to him his features were out of focus, was someone else completely.

Their mouths met.

And Athrun's eyes slowly opened.

* * *

><p>"I know it seems like I'm defending someone who ought to be punished" Sai sighed heavily "but Kuzzey's a mess, and I just know that punishing him isn't the right answer. That's why I told Representative Athha all about it"<p>

"That's why I agreed with him" Cagalli supplied as she shifted in her seat and accepted the glass of water Deputy Trine placed in front of her on the table "but I didn't want you not to understand why…I just hadn't realised no one had told you about it"

"It's alright, that's not your fault" Kira assured her.

Beside him, Miriallia sighed, "Kira, I'm sorry. Really I am, but you're so worried about Lacus and what with everything happening I just figured it wasn't something you needed on your plate right now"

"You don't need to explain anything" Kira smiled "I'm not mad"

"I am" muttered Yzak under his breath "downright furious in fact"

"If anything it's Athrun I'm surprised with," the young Captain continued "he doesn't usually keep stuff from me like this"

"He agreed with me" Miriallia explained "he seemed to think he'd done enough, he gave that Shinn kid quite a hard time yesterday. They had quite the fight" she didn't mention that Kira hadn't been the only reason why Athrun had been so mad with Shinn. She wasn't quite sure why, but she wasn't all together convinced what to make of it all.

"Even so" Kira mused "he had plenty of time to tell me all about it" he remembered what Athrun had said before he'd left to find Shinn. Did Athrun really think he needed to save Shinn so badly? He sighed and let this drop; he had enough to think about. He looked back at his old friend "so tell me about Kuzzey, what could have happened to make him so mad with Coordinators?"

Sai paused and looked down at his coffee for a moment "it's his parents" he replied in a low voice "they were both killed in the Breaking Of The World Incident"

There was a silence.

No one in the room wanted to remember that day.

"Since then, Kuzzey's had this obsession with Coordinators" Sai added "I've tried to tell him that it was only a few, that they were terrorists who followed Patrick Zala and that the rest of the Plants didn't believe them. But it's no good, no matter what I try, he just seems determined to hate Coordinators"

"Call me crazy" said Yzak snidely as Kira's gaze lowered to process this new information "but if your friend hates Coordinators so much then wasn't it a rather stupid idea to take him to Orb?"

Sai shrugged helplessly "maybe" he agreed "I just thought that if he mingled with ordinary people both Naturals and Coordinators, then maybe he would stop hating them so much"

"Working like a charm so far then" commented the Commander sarcastically.

The door to the meeting room opened and Athrun walked in looking so distracted it almost looked like he'd walked in to the room by mistake; Cagalli stood up from her seat and hurried over to him.

"There you are" she gave him the once over "you look awful, maybe you should have slept longer"

Athrun didn't answer her immediately, he seemed more taken with lifting a hand to his mouth: then he realised she'd spoken "no, it's not that. I'm fine, the doctor has just cleared me"

"Are you sure?" Kira too had stood up and come to greet his friend.

Athrun smiled and nodded "right as rain" he peered round the siblings and spotted Sai, taking this information in he then looked to Miriallia who nodded. With a glance back at Sai he turned his attention back to Kira "I take it you know the situation" he said lightly.

"Actually I think I know more than you by now, the reason why Kuzzey attacked Shinn in the first place" Kira answered levelly "what I don't understand is why you didn't tell me"

Athrun cleared his throat uncomfortably and replied "I just figured you'd be more concerned with Lacus kidnapping than what Shinn has done, so I dealt with the situation and decided not to bother you with it"

"That wasn't your decision to make," said Yzak over from where he sat "Shinn Asuka is a Zaft soldier and therefore the situation should have been handled by Zaft"

"Kuzzey Buskirk is an Orb civilian" Athrun retorted "and you're on Orb land"

"Meaning?" asked Yzak standing up from his chair with a frown.

"Meaning that as an Orb Admiral I am well within my rights abide by my own decisions on the matter"

"And the fact that Shinn Asuka is a Zaft Pilot?" Yzak's voice was careful, almost sharp.

"That fact is almost irrelevant in light of the paper coverage this story would have had if it had got out" Athrun's voice was also on edge. He seemed tetchy, unwilling to give full disclosure on the matter.

Yzak's eyes were narrowed "that doesn't change the fact that you're messing with Zaft business"

"No, I'm not" the Admiral answered "the fight happened in Orb country making it Orb business" his voice was darkened with defence "you've been telling me to stop getting involved in Zaft business, now it's my turn to tell you to keep out of Orb business"

Yzak was taken aback; the hard edge in Athrun's voice had caught him off guard, Kira too started and gave Athrun a look of surprise. Cagalli on the other hand nodded in agreement "I'm sorry to say this, but Athrun has a point. Orb would suffer more than the Plants if this story was leaked, the less people that know about it the better"

"That's not something I disagree with" Yzak snapped, temper raising in accordance with Athrun's tone "but it's still a fact that Shinn is a Zaft Pilot, his superiors should have been informed of his actions. A Zaft soldier should have accompanied you in to Orb to find him in the first place"

"I was under the impression Zaft had other things to think about" replied Athrun "I didn't want to bother Kira with more hassle than he has to deal with"

"That doesn't mean-" began Yzak.

"Stop it, this isn't going anywhere" Kira broke in stepping between the two "it doesn't matter who should have told what to who, this meeting isn't about that at all. Shinn has been dealt with"

"You're right of course" Cagalli led her Admiral to the seats and together they sat down "although I would ask that Sai stayed here, he's working for me as a stand in while Athrun is with the _Eternal_"

"That's fine" Kira accepted sitting back down in his seat next to Yzak who stood for a moment longer giving Athrun an icy look.

A soft noise from Kira had him settling down, however, and he retrieve his papers from the table in front of him with only one scowl at the Orb Admiral who failed to notice it. He seemed to be staring off in to space instead. Sai, who felt he'd brought havoc rather than understanding, looked to his superior for reassurance before taking out some paper and a pen to write down the points of the meeting.

Over on the other side, Deputy Trine stood behind Kira's shoulder watching as Orb and Zaft settled their minor differences to deal with the subject at hand.

There was a small pause.

"Since this disappearance of Lacus Clyne" Yzak began when no one else spoke "the Plants have been working on various suspects and motives as to why she would have been taken" he looked down at his notes "while a suspect has yet to be determined the Plants believe the main motive is preventing the peace treaties from continuing as the kidnapped was a major part of the proceedings, although other motives have been considered"

"What has happened to the Peace Treaty Meetings?" asked Cagalli.

"They've stopped, completely" Kira sighed "the Chairman believed it was better that they were postponed until the matter had been resolved"

"I suppose that's probably the best course of action" the Princess of Orb conceded "it stops them all blaming each other, though I've still heard that the Earth Alliance is a little unsure why they're being kept out of the loop while there's an Orb representative on the very ship chasing Lacus"

"As Zaft officials we kinda reasoned that Orb represents both Naturals and Coordinators together" Kira replied "and as it was Zaft protecting Lacus in the first place, it only makes sense that we head the investigation. Don't you agree, Athrun?"

There was no reply.

Athrun started and looked quickly from where he'd been staring at the wall "what?" he cleared his throat "Yes, I agree. There's no point in involving the Earth Alliance when Orb can represent them too, I already have Miriallia sending her findings to everyone not involved in the actual investigation. I figured a reporter not bound by any official clauses would be better accepted to them, at least they can't accuse us of holding anything back when they learn everything Miriallia does"

"The more the outside world knows the better, that way no one can blame Orb or Zaft for this" Cagalli added "it's made things better between the various countries, though there are those who would still like to know how someone managed to steal her away. Do you still think she went of her own accord?"

"That's the general consensus, but not everyone believes it" Yzak responded with a glance at Athrun who had gone back to staring fixedly at the wall "of course no one can understand why she would do such a thing, but when Zaft made their own examination of the scene they found no proof to suggest she'd been taken by force"

"But they don't rule out the possibility that she was taken at gun point" Deputy Trine supplied from behind Kira.

"The other question puzzling everyone is who called Commander Za- Dino to the scene" Yzak continued, looking back down at his notes "it is clear Captain Yamato made no such request to meet him, and there's no other suggestion available"

Here he passed another quick look at Athrun; it wasn't that Yzak actually suspected Athrun of anything, he was simply bothered by the fact that everywhere they turned Athrun was there, implicated or involved. Why? Because it kept the Admiral involved in the investigation? Who would want that? The obvious answer was of course Kira, but there was no way Kira Yamato could have been the one to call Athrun to the mansion when Lacus Clyne was kidnapped. There could have been only one other who knew that she was going to be kidnapped.

The kidnapper themselves.

This led Yzak to believe that it was someone didn't like Athrun.

And that was where the problem started. Granted, Athrun's list of enemies was quite a long one. But that list was full of dead people. In the world at large now, Athrun Zala – or Alex Dino – was proving to be popular both in Orb and amongst the allies.

But maybe that was it.

It was Alex Dino who was popular. Athrun Zala was the son of Patrick Zala, a madman. He had betrayed Zaft twice in his lifetime and could be dubbed a spy in the land of Orb. And everywhere Yzak turned, there Athrun was. He'd been there when Lacus had been kidnapped. He was the lead Orb representative in Zaft.

Was Yzak's thinking right? Was Athrun somehow involved in this? But how? It bothered Yzak more than he cared to admit because Athrun was more of a friend than he wanted to believe. There was no way Athrun was knowingly involved in this, Yzak knew that, but if the kidnapper had been the one to call Athrun to the scene then the only reasoning would be that they wanted to frame Athrun.

That would have been the case if Yzak hadn't worked hard to make not so; now, as he sat there contemplating his notes, he realised the more he thought about it the more he began to consider that Athrun as well as Lacus was a target in this.

But were they the only ones?

It was then Athrun finally felt someone watching him; looking up from thin air he caught Yzak's gaze and held it for a moment. The look passed between them and it was almost as if Athrun was reading Yzak's mind even as he sat there; he nodded subtly as around them the others discussed other events that had been changed because of Lacus's kidnapping. And Yzak understood; he couldn't explain how the idea slipped in to his mind, but he suddenly noticed what the main people in this room had in common.

Athrun Zala.

Kira Yamato.

Lacus Clyne.

Cagalli Athha.

These were the people most affected in this whole thing: these people were the leaders of peace, they'd betrayed their own countries, found against their own people because of their beliefs that war was the biggest enemies of all. Of all the people who wanted peace in the world, it was these four who were the most famous; it was their faces the whole world knew, their names the whole world talked about. The amazing things they'd done to stop the war. The determination they'd given to protect the people of the world from those who wanted to destroy it.

Lacus wasn't the victim. Neither was Athrun. The victims were those who had stood in the way of someone, preventing them from winning. And now those people were gathered together in the one room.

"That's why we've heard nothing" Yzak murmured to himself "that's why the ship containing Miss Clyne was heading for Orb. To get them all together in the same place"

"The thing about Lacus going of her own accord bothers me" Cagalli was saying "it had been generally thought that the Peace Treaties were going alright, but if Lacus was expecting to be taken then she must have known that they were being interfered in some way"

Were the Peace Treaties really the reason for the kidnapping? Yzak continued to think about it. What if they were a façade, a cloak to hide behind because the Treaties were the only things the world could think about? If this was about the Peace Treaties then why take Lacus in a ship and lead them to Orb? It made no sense when the Treaties were held in the Plants. He growled: none of it made sense at all. Round and round his thoughts were going and the more possibilities he thought of the more questions popped up.

"What if we're looking at this the wrong way?" asked Kira mirroring Yzak's thoughts without knowing so "could there be another motive than the Peace Treaties?"

"Like what?" asked Deputy Trine "peace was Miss Clyne's very life"

"But what if-"

The lights flickered around them; everyone stopped discussing the different options and looked up, on the side where a computer stood the screen flickered along with the lights. Kira stood and went to it; as it continued to waver he tapped a few keys.

"What's the matter?" asked Cagalli standing up.

"Something's interfering" he replied tapping a few more keys "trying to hack in to the system"

They were all standing from their seats as the screens in the room continued to flicker, even the large screen attached to the wall was flashing black and white; then the speakers crackled in to life and static filled the room. Kira stood back from the computer and backed up to Athrun's side looking from one screen to another.

"Is there any way to stop it?" Athrun asked.

Kira glanced at him "do you really think we should prevent it? What if it's Lacus's kidnapper? Or even Lacus herself? Someone is trying to make contact with us"

"In that case we should be tracking the signal" said Yzak "whoever it is, we should keep them talking as long as possible"

"I'll get right on it" Trine replied quickly.

"Orb too" agreed Cagalli, she turned to Sai "hurry to the base, tell them to find this signal and not to let go of it"

Sai nodded, saluted once, and left the room hurriedly; the rest stayed where they were, all watching the screens as a picture too quick to see flashed on and disappeared once more. Athrun and Yzak shared a look.

The picture wavered once more, sputtered up and down before finally settling on a room; there was silence, at first the room on screen was empty and still. It was almost as if someone was waiting, to draw out their impatience for dramatic effect. If this was the case, it was working, Yzak's fist was clenching tighter and tighter with each passing breath.

"Come on!" he growled "quit dragging this out and show your face!"

There was a laugh; over the speakers it sounded far away and crackled slightly, there was the movement of a shadow off the left of the screen. Another laugh. And then a voice spoke out loudly, clearly despite the interference.

"_You mean you don't know who you're talking to?_"

Cagalli gasped; the voice came through her hears and shot straight to her memories as if hotwired. Athrun's eyes too had widened; they looked at each other, trying to see if they'd heard the same or if they were, at last, reaching the doorway to insanity.

"Athrun!" she said urgently.

"It can't be" he reasoned with undoubtedly the sense of logic "he's dead, you know that"

"But it sounds like him!" she insisted, "you know it does"

"Who?" asked Kira "who does it sound like?"

"_It's nice to know I've been recognised! I was worried you wouldn't know my voice!_" laughed the unknown.

"He's dead" Athrun repeated, "he got crushed by a mobile suit for crying out loud, there's no way he could have survived that"

"_YES! That's what you would think, isn't it!_"

The shadow moved and suddenly there was a face in the screen, leering at them with the smug grin of victory; Kira blinked, he gasped as the face came back to him with scary clarity "no way" he whispered.

"_Well…it's very nice to see I've made such an impact on you all_" said Yuna Roma Seiran.

* * *

><p>I know, I know. I just brought someone back from the dead. LAME! But! When you actually think about it, you don't actually SEE a dead Yuna…just a mobile suit coming down on top of him. So, in theory, he COULD have dived out the way just in time and escaped.<p>

And anyway, I was pretty much out of options here; the anime didn't leave one bad guy for me to mess around with. And I didn't want to create an OC because I felt it might ruin the story, and I'd have to spend ages explaining who the guy was and why he kidnapped Lacus…bla-bla-bla. That was like too much hassle.

At least with Yuna Roma you can kinda expect what he'll be doing, so I can concentrate on Athrun and Shinn's relationship, which has just taken a sharp turn.

See?

That was my warped logic anyway.

I'm not known for sensible logic. But hey, the next chapter is going to be a good one so don't give up on me.

Thanks for reading!

Please leave a review.

Kiki

Kizzes!


	11. Unforeseen Problems At Hand

**Review Replies**  
>Guest: Thanks so much for your review. I hope you love this chapter as much as the last! Wuv you too! :D<p>

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><p>And hello again. Doesn't seem five minutes since I updated last, but it's probably been longer - a lot longer if I know me. Either way, I promised some of you that I'd get this chapter up by the end of the weekend and- What's this? I actually kept a promise? *<em>Falls over with SHOCK<em>*

I wanted to get another story updated too so I wanted to wait until I finished that chapter before I updated this one. Why I'm actually telling you all this is anyone's guess, I could ramble on forever. Anyway, you will all be pleased to hear that this story is going to be longer than I orignally planned (I had a plan? I know, shocking right?) but there's this new idea that I just simply HAVE to write.

But that's for later.

Last Time: Uhhh...all I can remember is that Shinn made the first move. The rest of the chapter is a complete blank. Never mind, you guys probably remember.

Disclaimer: I do not own Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny, nor any of its characters.

WARNINGS: None than I can actually think of. See anything that's upset you? Tell me, I probably won't do anything, but tell me anyway.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Silver And Gold<strong>

**Chapter Eleven: Unforeseen Problems At Hand **

"_Well…it's very nice to see I've made such an impact on you all_"

_Yuna Roma Seiran pranced about the screen in delight; he grinned at them through the screen and waved as if they were little children being greeted by a happy clown-_

Kira stopped the video with the press of a button and stared at the screen, his face with as much shock as it had the first moment he'd set eyes on the supposed dead official. It seemed surreal, even now after he'd seen the footage over four times: he couldn't quite believe that it really was Yuna Roma. Could it really be true? Was it _really_ him? Surely it was a clone, or some stranger who had operations to take his face like Meer Campbell had taken Lacus's.

Then again, whether it was the real Yuna Roma or not, the fact remained they had a face to search for: they had the man who had Lacus, he'd proved it to them with evil delight.

Here Kira hit a button and sped the tape watching as Yuna pranced about at the double; he looked ridiculous with the pace quickened, but Kira had never felt less like laughing in his life. What he knew of Yuna Roma was limited to what the man had done while being an Orb Official and the friction between he and Athrun. Kira had never told his friend this, but in his personal private opinion it was down to Yuna Roma that Athrun and Cagalli would never marry.

On that basis alone Kira hadn't liked the man.

But this, it wasn't something Kira had managed to accept for the simple fact they'd all believed the man to be dead. A mobile suit had dropped on him for crying out loud. Of course that day had been filled with carnage and blood; it had been a difficult task for the soldiers afterwards to put names to the various mangled bodies that were so bludgeoned they were unrecognisable. Yuna Roma had never actually been identified officially; they'd just marked him down as dead. And why wouldn't they have done? A man crushed by a mobile suit would have been nothing but pulp.

That said, Yuna Roma was looking remarkably well for a man crushed so. He was practically sparkling.

"Is it really him?" asked Kira softly.

He stopped the video suddenly on Yuna's face, watching it as if there was some clue that would suddenly make sense; nothing happened though, and in a desperate attempt he span the tape on again. To the part where Yuna Roma dragged Lacus Clyne on to the screen and pushed her in front of him with the help of a gun. Kira watched her face, watched every part of her expression. She wasn't hurt at least, but that wouldn't last long Yuna had declared. Her life was on the line until Yuna Roma had Cagalli Yula Athha, Alex Dino and Kira Yamato.

And that was all he wanted. He asked for nothing more and nothing less; at least his motive was clear now. This was all about revenge.

Revenge on Cagalli for being someone so unalterable, uncontrollable.

Revenge on Alex Dino for getting in the way of he and Cagalli.

And revenge on the Freedom, Kira Yamato, for kidnapping Cagalli on their wedding day.

Kira glanced at Alex Dino who was sitting beside him staring off in to space; his friend seemed distracted, Kira noticed, but with what the Coordinator had no clue. How he could be so unfocused on the situation at hand Kira had no idea; that meant it was something that was causing unforeseen problems, which made the Freedom fighter uneasy to say the least. Sighing, Kira pressed the stop button and span the video back again.

Athrun's gaze flickered back in to the room when he heard the spin of the tape and he looked up before looking at his friend "this is the seventh time you've watched this thing, it's not helping"

"I'm looking for any clues" Kira replied.

"There aren't any and you know it" gently Athrun took the remote from his hand and hit the power button "the most important thing this video tells us is that Lacus is alright" he rubbed his forehead absently "and we now know who is behind all this…surprising as it is"

"So you think that's really him?" Kira muttered.

Athrun nodded.

"How can you tell?"

"Common sense tells me no one has any possible reason for pretending to be a man who betrayed Orb, was a part of Blue Cosmos and an arrogant bastard. They wouldn't gain anything"

"But how do you suppose he survived getting crushed like he was?"

The Orb Admiral shrugged a shoulder "maybe he just got outta the way in time, a lucky escape"

"He would had to have been pretty slick" Kira reasoned, "a mobile suit pulled down by gravity isn't exactly slow"

"Just because he was weak when it came to political power doesn't mean he wasn't agile"

"I guess" Kira's gaze lowered with dark thoughts "do you think he's done anything to Lacus?"

"He's a tyrant, he's using Lacus merely as a means to get the rest of us" Athrun answered "she was the perfect bait after all, we both jumped on to a ship after her without a second thought and taking her near Orb lead us straight to Cagalli"

"We certainly fell in to the trap" Kira agreed "but it's worrying me, he couldn't have taken a ship all by himself. And what about those mobile suits that attacked us? Who is it that's fixing _Requiem_?"

"I'm sure if a man looks hard enough he can find a gang of wannabe followers to use, what bothers me more is how he got in to the Plants" the Orb Admiral wondered aloud "he's a dead madman who was an enemy of the world and traitor to Orb, it's not like he can simply walk in to the Plants and ask the way to Lacus Clyne's residence"

"He had help that's for sure" Kira tugged at his collar and Torii landed on his shoulder lightly "and I still don't understand how Lacus knew he was coming for her, do you still think she went willingly?"

"I do"

Kira chewed his lip and finally asked the question he'd secretly wanted to ask ever since he'd seen her again "do you think she's scared? I can't tell on the tape, no matter how many times I watch it, the footage is just too blurry"

"I think Lacus knows we're coming to get her back," replied Athrun "I think she's as composed and calm as she ever is"

Kira nodded and tapped his foot nervously; on his shoulder Torii chirruped comfortingly "I'm still not sure waiting is a good idea, we shouldn't leave it that long, he's not going to wait forever. It's not like I want to send my sister in to his arms, I don't want you or I to go either. But those are his terms"

"For now" Athrun reminded him "we don't know what Yuna will do once he has us, he might keep Lacus too. Besides, do you really think Orb is simply going to allow its Princess to meet a man that want to kill her on sight? Orb is trying to source the location of the signal, so is Yzak. They'll find it"

"You really think Yuna Roma is stupid enough to stay in the one place, he'll know we're looking for the signal"

"It's a start"

Even as Athrun spoke the door opened and Yzak stepped in looking down at a report that had been quickly typed out for him; both Kira and Athrun stood at once when the Commander entered but Yzak refused to speak until the door had slid shut behind him.

"That Meyrin Hawke is skilled" he commented still looking down at his papers "she deserves a promotion at least"

"She's found Yuna Roma?" asked Kira anxiously.

"Faster than any of the other Zaft soldiers and the fifty Orb officials assigned to locate the signal"

Despite the situation the Orb Admiral smiled "she's good"

"Yes, it's too bad she wants to move to the Orb Union. I'd have her on my team" here Yzak scowled at his former Zaft college "I have you to blame for that"

"Me?" Athrun blinked "why?"

"Never mind!" Yzak grumbled to himself before handing the papers in his hand to Kira "we've found the location of the signal, more than that we've hacked in to the camera mainframe and fed back live pictures to us. He's still there"

Kira and Athrun looked up from reading the report "he is?" Kira's eyes narrowed "why is he still there? He must know we're looking him"

"I know" Yzak nodded "it's strange. Most likely he's built a trap for us and he's waiting for us to make the next move. That puts us at the disadvantage but it can't be helped"

"That doesn't matter" Kira said handing the report to Athrun so he could read it in more detail, Kira had read all he'd wanted to "we need to move, and quickly. Yuna Roma gave us no timeframe at all, we don't know when his patience will run out"

"I have a plan" Yzak answered steadily "Orb aren't being much help" here he scowled at Athrun again but was calmly ignored "they heard the demand for their Princess and they went in to lockdown, the officials have already moved Cagalli Yula Athha to a secure place. We're on our own"

"They won't help at all?" asked Kira, with some surprise. If he was honest, he had thought Orb would help without question. Cagalli and Lacus were close friends after all.

"They're not going to risk their beloved Princess, which I suppose is reasonable" Yzak replied coolly "however, they did say that Admiral Dino had several ships at his disposal and he was perfectly free to call for anyone was willing to help, though no soldier is under any obligation to aid us"

"They have to volunteer" Kira murmured "but that should mean they'll help right? They don't want their Princess to be under threat"

"As far as they're concerned she's not" Yzak said crisply "that's all they said on the matter, they've asked that all Zaft Soldiers stay on board ship unless they have an Orb representative with them"

"Athrun" Kira turned to his friend who still perusing the report.

"The _Archangel_ will help us" Athrun answered him turning a page.

"The _Archangel_?"

"It's under my command. Besides, I think it would be harder to keep it away"

"Then maybe it would be wise to call them now" Yzak suggested "as Captain Yamato has pointed out, time is precious"

"They can be ready in an hour" Athrun told him "that should give us enough time" he handed the report back to Yzak "it's a good plan. Yuna rarely left the confines of the city. He doesn't know the sea line of Orb very well"

"That's what I'm banking on"

"Clearly I'll be one of the those going round the back" Athrun figured "who else will be coming with me?"

"Captain Yamato will stay with the _Eternal_ which, along with the _Archangel_, will attack from the front-" Yzak started.

"But-" Kira started.

"You're a Captain, you stay with the ship" Yzak overrode him "whether you want to go in round the back or not, your duty is with your ship" when Kira still looked hesitant Yzak's eyes narrowed "I don't often pull rank over you but this time I am, a ship needs its Captain at a time like this"

Kira backed down; he was far from happy, it was his wish that he go in to Orb along with Athrun and sneak in to the back where Yuna would be hiding from the _Archangel_ and the _Eternal_ attacking him. However, Yzak wasn't going to be moved from his plan without a fight, and they just didn't have the time. He felt an uneasy gnawing in this stomach about every minute they stood around. He nodded reluctantly "very well. Who will be accompanying Athrun in to Orb?"

"I've been thinking about that" Yzak answered, glad he didn't have an argument on his hands "we need the team to be as small as possible to attract as little attention as possible. That means mobile suits. The Justice of course, and I thought Lunamaria Hawke with the Impulse" he paused with a look of irritation passing over his face "I also think the Destiny would be needed too"

Kira and Athrun glanced at each other.

"You realise the Destiny is going to be needed to piloted, right?" asked Kira.

Yzak growled, but agreed nevertheless "that's why I propose we release Shinn Asuka…but only temporarily!" he added fierily "as soon as Lacus Clyne is rescued, that hotshot goes back in the cells to rot and pay for his punishments!"

"I'm sure if he helps with retrieving Lacus his sentence and punishments can be dropped" Kira said.

He caught the look on Yzak's face.

"Then again, maybe that wouldn't be such a good idea" he finished lightly.

* * *

><p>It was fairly safe to say that the battle between Coordinators and Naturals was one that the whole world knew; there wasn't one person who lived that knew nothing of the wars, or the pain, the battle to beat the other inflicted on the planet and its surrounding space. It was a freaky thought, but those who were never affected by the wars were very few and far between; an entire world had been ripped in two by wars that killed countless and destroyed more. And now there was a man ready to bring all that back, all in the name of revenge.<p>

But Shinn was unaware of this as he sat dully in his cell listening to the silence around him; contrary to popular belief, silence was the loudest noise he'd ever heard. It almost felt like a thick blanket flumped on top of his head. The guards were standing outside the door to the cells leaving Shinn on his own which wasn't necessarily something he craved for. Being on his own meant he had to listen to his head for company; to do that was a big mistake right now, because it would remind him of the stupidest thing he'd ever done.

To think of it was impossible, but to not think of it was worse; it was harder than stopping oneself from thinking of pink elephants, one had to think of them beforehand in order to stop. Shinn wasn't particularly interested in thinking of pink elephants but anything was better than acknowledging the little voice in his head that made all his other demons look like little fairies in comparison.

Making himself think of something that didn't resemble a pink elephant with wings – his invented image of fairies – he wondered how long he would be locked up. Kira hadn't mentioned any timeframe; he was new to this whole captaincy thing and distracted by the little matter of Lacus Clyne. In all honesty it wouldn't have surprised Shinn if he'd been forgotten. He only hoped he wasn't left here to rot…though, on second thoughts, maybe rotting in a cell was the better prospective to other alternatives such as facing members of the _Eternal_ whose current whereabouts Shinn was pleased not to know.

He sat languidly on the bed and leant against the wall, smacking his head on the solid surface with a satisfying thwack; the pain was there but he paid it no attention as he pulled at the collar of his uniform. He was in so much crap that wearing his uniform open would probably be at the bottom of the list.

Kicking out a foot he stretched for the simple effort of doing something-

The door opened and there was the murmur of talking; the hint of voices caught in Shinn's ears and he sat forward trying to listen in. He wasn't actually interested in topic of conversation but more the person behind the voice. There was more talking and ice cut Shinn's gut in two; it sounded like someone he knew, someone he knew well, the very someone he didn't want to see for the next million years. His stomach twisted in knots at the very idea; it couldn't be right, his hearing had to be wrong: there was no way _he_ would come down here to see Shinn. It wasn't possible.

The door closed again and for a moment Shinn thought he was safe, but seconds later there was the sound of feet approaching and as they drew closer to Shinn's cell he sat up straighter using a hand to prop himself up. He watched the gaps between the bars as there was a pause and then a figure appeared at the side of his cell.

Athrun took another flare of willpower before he succeeded in looking in to the darkened cell at the young soldier sitting alert on the bed. There was silence, a lack of noise that was twice as loud, and both wondered how to handle the situation. There was no escaping it; this was awkward. But then it had been Athrun's own choice to come down here, and he'd had a reason…hadn't he?

"What are you doing here?" asked Shinn savagely, letting his temper hide his discomfort. Then Athrun looked at him and he flushed dark red.

"I came here to…talk" said Athrun slowly; he had no idea how to approach this and he knew his time was limited. Shinn would be released and there would be no chance to talk about this. He supposed it was unprofessional to even want to discuss it; Lacus Clyne had been kidnapped, if he paid attention to his duties as he should then his head would have been entirely focussed on the plan.

But…

He couldn't get Shinn out of his head; every time he closed his eyes he was opening them almost at once expecting to see Shinn above him.

"There's nothing to talk about!" Shinn nearly snapped, his face growing hotter.

"Nothing to talk about?" the Admiral repeated in disbelief "are you serious?"

"Damn straight I'm serious!"

"Shinn, we need to talk about what happened"

"Why!" demanded the younger Coordinator "nothing happened!"

"I disagree" Athrun persisted "something did happen and we need to talk about it"

"No, we don't!" Shinn turned away, unable to listen to that _reasonable_ tone of Athrun's voice any longer "there's nothing to say!"

"Shinn!"

"Just forget about it! It was an accident, got it!"

"But-"

"But what!" Shinn whirled back round "what do you want me to say!"

Athrun didn't reply; he wasn't sure what he was looking for exactly "I just want…" he answered carefully thinking through his words as he spoke them "…to know the reason behind it"

Shinn stared at him "what's supposed to mean?"

Again, the response wasn't immediate; Athrun searched for the correct way to voice his thoughts "was it some kinda trick…or joke-"

"You really think I joke about this kinda thing!" Shinn cut in scathingly.

For a moment Athrun looked almost helpless "I don't know" he answered, "do you?"

"Like hell I do! I already told you, it was an accident! I didn't mean to do it! And it wasn't a damn joke or anything creepy like that!"

"But then…why?"

"Shockingly I don't analyse every damn thing I do!"

"Come on, surely there has to be some little reason" Athrun insisted much to Shinn's embarrassed aggravation "what were you doing in the Captain's cabin in the first place?"

"Luna wanted me to apologise for being a pain" Shinn explained shortly.

"And that's how she wanted you to accomplish it?"

"NO! Of course not! For the third time, it was an accident!"

Athrun's head tilted to the side and he looked sceptical "sorry, I find that hard to believe"

Shinn growled in mortification.

"Look, clearly this is making you uncomfortable-"

"Then stop talking about it! Better yet, just get lost!"

"Shinn, I woke up in the Captain's Cabin to find you ki-"

"DON'T say it!" Shinn barged in loudly, he snarled heatedly and glared at the Athrun "don't you dare say it!"

The older stopped, the force of Shinn's glare giving him pause; they gazed at each other for a minute, Shinn baring his teeth fiercer than a dog while Athrun had an odd expression of blankness. He looked as if he were trying to think of something to say, some way of prolonging the agony. Then, he seemed to rethink his thoughts and, much to Shinn's bitter relief, sighed.

Shinn stayed with bated breath, his head begging Athrun not to say anymore, about _anything_.

"It isn't the right time to discuss something like this" Athrun stepped back from the bars and looked away "there's more urgent matters to attend to"

"Right" agreed Shinn darkly, his mouth dry.

Then why was he here at all, Athrun asked himself; it wasn't like he was short of anything to do after all. Yet somehow he'd found himself coming down to the cells to talk to Shinn. He stood silently for a moment not looking at Shinn but not heading for the door either; this was more difficult that he'd supposed. What exactly had he been expecting Shinn to say? Sorry? The reason why he'd done it? Was Athrun even sure he wanted to know the answer to his questions? It had been a while since Athrun had kissed anyone; there hadn't been anyone since Cagalli and he'd been too consumed with the Peace Treaties to really pay any attention to that sort of thing – though that receptionist had cornered him in one very awkward embarrassing moment the Admiral wished very much to forget. Kissing just wasn't something Athrun was considering at the moment.

And yet, ever since he'd opened his eyes and found his mouth opened against Shinn's he hadn't been able to focus; Yuna Roma Seiran had come back from the dead and the only thing Athrun had in his head were those ruby eyes widening in horror. It had been a matter of seconds before Shinn had pulled back and stumbled to the door; Athrun didn't think he'd seen the Zaft Pilot move so fast. The only thing Athrun had managed to do was sit up with the vague notion that it was all just a dream.

But the most worrying part of it all was the lightheaded expression on Shinn's face. As Athrun had opened his eyes he'd felt Shinn's mouth brush lightly against his own. The touch had been cautious, experimental. And in his head, Athrun could still remember the small noise escaping before Shinn had realised what he's done.

The silence had gone on too long, it couldn't be avoided now even if they tried; if they didn't face it now it only meant it mattered more than they were pretending. It had only been seconds Shinn's thoughts reminded him loudly; a few seconds in his life, a sequence of events that was so small in one lifespan, but in the those meaningless heartbeats his mind had completely switched off.

"Sorry" Shinn said, at last.

Athrun looked back quickly.

"It won't happen again"

The younger turned back in to the cell now unable to forget those brief fleeting passing inches of time when his mouth had been locked with Athrun's, it was making his brain fuzzy. He swallowed nervously.

Behind him Athrun felt unfinished, he took a step back to the bars "Shinn-"

The door opened and Shinn started. Yzak stepped in to the small corridor lined by cells on either side and stopped abruptly when he saw Athrun standing there. He tilted his head "what are you doing here?"

Athrun couldn't think of anything to say.

Yzak, of course, got the wrong idea "don't tell me!" he snapped "you're one step ahead of me and releasing him yourself!"

Glad of the subject given to him Athrun readily replied, "not at all, that's your job"

"Oh? Really? My job, huh? Thanks for pointing that out!" the sarcasm was cutting and a little more forceful than was necessary but Athrun was just pleased he wasn't having to make some excuse – he wasn't sure his imagination was up to the challenge.

Shinn, however, had picked up on one very important word "you're releasing me?" he asked.

"Yes, but don't get any silly ideas!" Yzak snarled at him "this does not mean that the matter has been dropped! You're still going to be punished for everything you've done! As soon as this is all over it's back in the cell for you, for a very long time if I have anything to do with it!"

"That's hardly fair" Athrun put in almost on instinct "Kira said the matter might be dropped if-"

"And of course Captain Yamato's word is law!" Yzak glared at him "I can't believe I forgot that!"

Athrun gave up, he hadn't meant to speak in the first place; sticking up for Shinn was becoming a force of habit, a habit he wasn't sure he wanted given the circumstances.

"Well, seeing as you're here you can fill him in on the plan" Yzak said harshly unlocking the door to Shinn's cell "I have other things I could be doing"

"I'm not really sure-" Athrun began.

"Not really sure about _what_?" asked Yzak smartly.

He looked at Athrun expectantly; Athrun had never been much of a liar, he was even less so under the gaze of Commander Yzak Joule. There were reasons why Yzak was known as Commander Satan behind his back. Calling him the devil didn't really do him justice.

Shinn stepped out from his cell without being allowed to do so; he got the sense they were in a hurry and that he'd missed something quite drastic. Maybe that was why Athrun hadn't put much effort in to making Shinn talk about what had happened. Shinn pulled at his collar again feeling a little hot.

Unfortunately this was something Yzak noticed, "how many times do I have to tell you?! Is it really that difficult to button up a collar! You're a soldier, act like it!"

* * *

><p>"Mu, Miss Ramius" Kira smiled brighter than he had in a while as he greeted them.<p>

"Ah-ah, who are you calling Miss?" asked Mu grabbing Murrue's hand and showing off the small band of the gold around her finger.

Kira stopped and blinked "you're married?" he asked more surprise than he should have felt "when did that happen?"

"Three months ago" Murrue replied happily taking back her hand from her husband "we would have invited you to the ceremony, except there wasn't one"

"I'm not really sure I follow"

"We eloped" Mu whispered conspiratorially behind his hand "shh, don't tell anyone"

"Can't they tell by the ring around her finger?" asked Kira also in a whisper, he smiled.

"Actually we came back from our honeymoon expecting to find everyone frantic with worry when it turns out everyone knew where we were anyway" Mu looked quite sulky about this but cheered up and clapped a hand on Kira's shoulder "well look at you, looking crisper than a flake of snow in that uniform" he grinned "it's good to see you, Kira"

"How's the life of a Captain treating you?" asked Murrue.

"It's a lot harder than I expected" Kira admitted with a heavy sigh "everyone keeps asking me to make all the decisions"

Murrue smiled "I know the feeling"

"You think you've got it bad," snorted Mu "think about Athrun, he's got Captains by the bucket load badgering for his decisions"

"I'd never really thought about it" Kira realised "Athrun's been in the Plants so long I haven't really considered his duties here in Orb" he smiled weakly "I guess I've been putting a lot of pressure on him…maybe that's why he's so distracted"

"Don't be silly" Mu snorted "that Zaft kid has his priorities all sorted out, and you come first no matter what"

"I really wish you would stop referring to me as the Zaft kid" said Athrun coming up behind the Orb soldiers with a soft sigh "it really doesn't send a good image to the rest of the soldiers"

"You'll always be the Zaft kid to me" Mu grinned at him with a wink "course I could call you something else if you decided to give me…you know…a promotion"

"So, how is Captain Gladys's son doing?" asked Kira as Mu started to pester Athrun about his recent Captain's exam which he needed to pass in order to take the next step up the ladder. His wife was a higher rank that he was; it just wasn't fair "I heard from Athrun that you adopted him"

"He's fine" Murrue answered "he was shy about coming to Orb at first but he's settled in brilliantly, and he's enjoying his new school"

"Still doesn't call me dad though," Mu said over his shoulder before returning back to Athrun "well" he demanded, "have you heard anything yet?"

"Commander La Flaga" answered Athrun patiently "I will give you the results of your exam the moment I receive them, I promise"

"And then you'll make me a Captain right?"

"_Then_ I, along with the other Officials, will make a formal decision," corrected the Admiral "to be followed by Cagalli's final agreement _if_ we agree in your favour"

"Come on, you gotta do all that?" complained Mu "can't you just skip that part and make me Captain anyway? We're friends, aren't we?"

"I'm not in the habit of giving favours" Athrun's eyes widened at the very thought "Cagalli would have my head on a plate"

"I have good references" Mu wheedled "I used to be a Captain as Neo remember"

"Would you stop trying to cut corners," his wife scolded, "what sort of Captain shorts out on the paperwork"

"Don't you have minions for paperwork?"

"No" said Murrue and Kira together.

"Athrun" Miriallia appeared in the doorway and came to his side at his side "you called?"

"Yes" Athrun nodded secretly pleased to be distracted from Mu "I wondered if you wouldn't mind taking your old duties on the _Archangel_"

Miriallia frowned "I thought you could order me to do whatever you wanted"

"Not in this case" Athrun answered, he sighed "I know you swore you'd never be a soldier again, but this is Lacus and you're the best at your job"

Miriallia smiled "I already got my uniform, Sai's going to be a part of this too. He's already on the _Archangel_"

"Thank you"

"If you're joining in then I'd hurry," Yzak said as he entered the room with Dearka behind him "I just heard over the radio that the _Archangel_ is ready, and the _Eternal_ is ready to go"

"Then we'd better board" Murrue said briskly "Kira, I'll connect a feed to you once we're airborne"

"Yes" Kira nodded "and thank you, both of you"

"Don't even mention it" Mu replied "Lacus means something to us too, you know"

"Exactly" Miriallia agreed.

As they left Athrun turned to Yzak "are the mobile suits in the position yet?"

"They should be" answered Yzak checking his notes "Dearka, I left you in charge of that…" he looked up "Dearka?"

As Miriallia disappeared from sight Dearka wiped his forehead in relief "phew, that was a close encounter…" he patted himself down "I'm still alive, right?"

Yzak shook his head in wonder "what did you do to her?"

* * *

><p>"So, remind me again why we're in a car driving through the countryside?" asked Shinn with clipped tones. Even after all this time Orb still made him edgy, it was making him mean.<p>

Still, Athrun replied in neutral tones "flying across country in three giant mobile suits would be a little conspicuous, don't you think?"

"Not if we kept low to the ground" muttered the Zaft Pilot "and how exactly did you manage to get three mobile suits from one place to another without anyone flying them"

"Three lorries took them to their destination" Athrun explained "we drive to them and from there fly them to the coast. We'll be coming up behind Yuna Roma and there's a chance he'll be expecting us. The theory is that the _Archangel_ and the _Eternal_ should distract him enough"

From the back seat Lunamaria leaned forwards "isn't there people guarding Yuna Roma, doesn't he have any followers or guards?"

"No, he doesn't"

"And you don't find that suspicious?" Shinn snorted, "come on, that's got trap written all over it"

"I know, but Lacus is there too" was the response "and we just can't miss this chance even if it is a trap, we have to get Lacus back"

"I still don't get why you didn't just hand yourselves in to him like he wanted"

Athrun lifted his eyebrows "you mean you wanted me to let Yuna Roma kill me? Kira too?"

"No, we could have set a trap for him instead of walking in to one"

"We did think about it, but the decision was made that handing ourselves over would seem too compliant, Yuna would be suspicious and might take it out on Lacus"

"Where as going in and trying to blow him up is going to make him give her up, is it?"

"Alright, Captain Smart, what would you do?"

"Simple. I'd give him the Athha Princess and tell him he could whatever he wanted"

"Shinn!" Lunamaria exclaimed from the back.

Athrun rolled his eyes; he should have seen that coming "I'm sure the Orb Officials would be eager to hear any other bright ideas you have" he said coolly "meantime it's not our job to attack, at least not head on. I have a plan that should get us in without Yuna realising we're there until it's too late"

"I'm all ears"

"Are you?"

Shinn looked at him "what's that supposed to mean?!"

"Your track record for obeying my orders isn't exactly clean, Shinn, forgive me if I need a little reassurance that you're not going to go on any of those impulses of yours"

From the back Lunamaria nodded in agreement; Athrun had a point. Shinn threw her a glare through the rear-view mirror and then looked out the window; they were driving along a narrow road up the side of a cliff. Barely a metre from the car the ground dropped away steeply below Shinn like a sheer slide; rocks and boulders littered the abrupt way down and the odd tree grew from the sloping ground.

"I'll do whatever you want me to" he mumbled.

Athrun noticed the quiet tone of the reply, but only smiled gratefully "thank you"

The sun was low in the sky; it was getting on for evening and the clouds were lined were deep rich golden colours. Athrun made a sharp turn and continued on higher up the cliff side. Lunamaria looked from one silent guy to the other and sighed to herself; she had hoped that the friction between them would have settled by now, but Shinn had burst out of the Captain's quarters looking so traumatised that she'd thought Athrun had pulled a gun on him.

Something else must have happened between them but what that was she had no idea. All she could think of was that Shinn had said something to Athrun that was too much and now he was being obedient to make it up. But if that had been the case then surely she would have heard it; arguments between Athrun and Shinn weren't exactly quiet affairs. And something was different between them; there was an awkwardness that hadn't been there before.

Shinn kept glancing at Athrun with an expression of uncertainty in his eyes. And Athrun was no better. He avoided looking Shinn altogether and his grip on the steering wheel would shift every so often showing an uneasiness in his manner. Athrun, uneasy? Shinn, uncertain? Lunamaria blinked.

"Alright I give up!" she burst out.

Athrun and Shinn both jumped.

"Give up on _what_?!" asked Shinn vehemently, angry he'd just started like a jack-rabbit.

"On you two!" Lunamaria leaned in from the back her head coming in between the two Coordinators "there's something weird going on!"

"The only weird thing going on is you" Shinn grumbled to himself.

"Don't give me that!" she shot back at him "there is definitely something going on with you two! You could cut this silence with a knife"

"Don't be stupid" Shinn replied rather too irritated than was necessary "nothing's wrong"

"Please, I'm not blind!" scowling she look from one to the other again, Athrun looked sideways at her while Shinn ignored her completely "are you two fighting again?" she demanded, "you are, aren't you?!"

"Even if we were, what business is it of yours?!" Shinn remarked brusquely.

"Because I don't understand why you can't put aside your issues for once" she complained "is it so difficult for you to be friends?"

"First of all, there are no issues to put aside" the Destiny fighter said through clenched teeth "and second, what is it with this obsession of yours?! Why do I have to be friends with the guy?!" he fumed completely disregarding the fact that Athrun was sitting not a foot away.

"I just think it's about time you and Athrun bonded, that's all"

"Why?! There's no point in bonding! We don't have to be friends, got it!"

"But-"

"You know what!" Shinn interrupted "I'm buying you a pet, you need something to distract you!"

"Oh come on, don't be like that" Lunamaria argued back "you can't pretend you and Athrun don't have issues with each other, you've always had issues with the guy, ever since you met him. And it's about time you got over them, that's why I sent you to the Captain's cabin in the first place!"

It was like the flick of a switch; Shinn shut down completely, his face clammed up to nothingness save for his eyes, which widened to saucers. Athrun cleared his throat uncomfortably but said nothing. Lunamaria looked between them for a third time.

"Was it something I said?" she asked.

"No, it's nothing" answered Shinn shortly.

"It doesn't look like nothing"

"Just give it up, Luna" he warned, "I mean it"

"No way, something has happened between you and I want to know what that is"

"_Wha_-" Shinn asked angrily. He glared at Athrun "would you _DO_ something about this?!"

Athrun grimaced "maybe we should talk about the plan" he said weakly.

"The plan" Shinn agreed loudly "great idea!"

"Shinn!"

"No, Luna, I'm not playing this game" the young Coordinator drew the line "I don't understand your obsession to make me and Athrun friends but I'm not putting up with it anymore. Why would I want to be friends with a guy who can't even decide which side to butter his toast?" he was of course referring to the Admiral's constant questioning, it annoyed Shinn.

Athrun clicked his tongue "I'm right here, you know"

"Shut up!"

"Don't speak to Athrun like that!" Luna reprimanded.

"That's right, take his side"

"I'm not taking any side, just pointing out that you don't want to talk about an Admiral of Orb like that, it doesn't do any good for the impending sentence hanging over your head. At this rate Commander Joule is going to have you executed"

Shinn growled in annoyance "that guy has got it in for me!"

"Only because you keep disobeying orders" Athrun reasoned.

"The only orders I've disobeyed have been _yours_" Shinn replied hotly "you're not even a part of Zaft"

"True" the Admiral admitted "but you start disobeying any order and Yzak immediately takes a disliking to you"

"And you refuse to button up the collar of your uniform" Lunamaria added with a giggle.

"Sorry I'm sure," grumbled Shinn, he clenched his fist "I've got no chance if it's Commander Joule deciding my sentence"

"Look, it's not all bad" Athrun answered "if you help rescue Lacus he might ease the charges"

"No, he won't! He's the one that thinks I let her get kidnapped in the first place! And he likes me even less since I got you blown up, I'm doomed"

"Yup" said Lunamaria cheerfully.

Shinn scowled at her.

"Just do a good job" the Orb representative insisted "Lacus is the biggest problem right now, everyone is on edge and Zaft is the one taking the blame for her kidnapping. We're inches away from another war breaking out. Worry about that for now, anything else can wait until the threat of war and death isn't a concern anymore"

Shinn stared at him with genuine surprise "wow, Athrun, that was almost good advice"

Athrun blinked "what's that mean?"

"Well, if you'd given advice like that when you were actually my superior I might have listened to you more"

Athrun thought about this and then gave a sigh "maybe"

He drove on still thinking; Shinn had a point, even Athrun could see that. There were times on the Minerva when he hadn't given much of an example. But Kira had been in the way; to fight his childhood friend all over again had taken it out of him, watching Kira go down in defeat had almost driven him mad. And he'd been so lost, not knowing what to believe or which way to turn; with all those thoughts taking over his head he hadn't had much time for anything else. And he'd fled from Zaft; sure, at the time he hadn't had much choice, but leaving them like must have hurt. Not to mention he'd taken Meyrin, the only family Lunamaria had.

"I'm sorry, to both of you"

Shinn and Lunamaria looked at him "you don't have to be sorry, Athrun" Lunamaria replied, she smiled "it's alright"

Shinn didn't say anything.

Athrun shook his head "I should have-"

_BANG_.

The car swerved out of control; Lunamaria cried out as she fell backwards in to her seat. Athrun had no time; the car was off the road and through the small railing guarding the edge of the road. They went down the cliff, gravity dragging them down through boulders, trees and further down. Shinn swore as he was flung in to the back of his seat.

The slope was steep; there was no leverage to stop. The wheels simply skidded along the loose ground beneath them. Still Athrun jammed on the break and span the steering wheel round. The car veered, breaks screaming. There was a ledge coming towards them. After that, the ground dropped away in to air, leaving nothing but the ocean far below.

Again Athrun twisted the steering wheel. The car turned sideways, skidding down the bank gravel flying up behind them. The ledge came closer; for one vomiting moment Shinn thought they were about to go flying over it and down in to the water below.

Then the car hit something. It leapt in to the air, span round and slammed to a halt just short of the ledge. Shinn found himself looking down. The waves crashed against the wall of the cliff around sharp rocks. Had they gone over, they would have been killed.

Gasping, Shinn lurched round in his seat "Luna!"

"I'm alright!" she managed breathlessly "I'm not hurt"

Shinn turned on Athrun "what the hell was that?!"

Athrun was sitting back in his seat, still holding on the wheel for grim death; he looked over to Shinn's side, through the window at the sea he could see sparkling below "a narrow escape" he replied a little numbly.

"Damn right it was!" Shinn snarled, "you nearly got me killed in the same country my family died in!"

Athrun didn't reply. He glanced over his shoulder "Lunamaria, are you alright?"

"A little shaken, that's all" she answered in a stronger voice, unsteadily she sat up straight "what happened?"

"I'm not sure"

Athrun opened his door and clambered out; Shinn followed, climbing out the driver's seat rather than his own. The car was dangerously close to the edge. It took a matter of seconds to discover what had happened. The front tire on Shinn's side of the car had been blown out. The smell of rubber stank and Lunamaria choked as she got out the car.

There was a moment's pause, Athrun leant down to take a closer look "maybe I drove over something sharp" he mumbled.

"Oh, so you're a bad driver as well as a crap Commander then" said Shinn bad temperedly.

"Shinn, this isn't Athrun's fault" Lunamaria protested.

"He was the one driving!"

"That doesn't make it his fault, a blown tire could happen to anyone"

"Lets hope that's all this is" Athrun answered as he straightened and looked back up the side they'd just come down.

Up above the railing they'd burst through could be seen jagged and torn apart by the car. It was quiet up above; there was no sign of movement. Nevertheless Athrun's eyes narrowed and he took a step forward. There was a crumbling and the ground beneath him disappeared.

"Hey!" Shinn leapt forwards as earth collapsed and Athrun dropped from sight.

* * *

><p>So, the aftermath of the kiss. And more of the kidnapping has been revealed. And there's more to Yuna's plan than just simple revenge...well, it's all about revenge but he has a bigger idea in store.<p>

Yeah, I'm just throwing hints out there to keep you reading. Shameless advertising but if I don't do it no one will.

And of course we have to advance Athrun and Shinn's relationship some more.

That's the whole point of the entire story after all.

Anyway, thanks for reading! Please leave any review, comments or questions (or flames I guess, just don't expect me to take them seriously).

Laters!

Kiki

Kizzes!


	12. An Impulse In The Wrong Time

Well hello! I did intend to update sooner but as some of you know I've had a couple of tragedies recently which have set me back.

Anyway, this chapter was done in one sitting so it's all good.

And it's not THAT long since I last updated, right?

Last Time:...Haven't the foggiest. Completely gone out me head. I'm sure you guys know.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED Destiny, nor any of its characters.

WARNINGS: None really.

So, without further ado...

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Silver And Gold<strong>

**Chapter Twelve: An Impulse In The Wrong Time**

"Athrun!" Lunamaria peered down the huge gaping hole Athrun had just plummeted in to "Athrun, can you hear me?!" she looked up to see Shinn's expression and was alarmed to find he wasn't there "Shinn!"

"I'm here" came the reply.

Turning round she found her companion in the boot of the car thumping and cursing when he thwacked his head against the lid. Rushing over to him she tried to see what he was looking for and found him searching through a bag, a packet caught her attention "this is no time for eating!"

"I know that!" he sighed at her "I'm looking for the damn torch!"

"Torch?"

"This is Athrun, right? Prepared for anything the world might hit us with"

"So"

"_So_ he's the type of guy to have a torch, duh!"

"How's a torch going to help Athrun, he could be bleeding to death!"

"Well we're not going to be much help to him if we can't see anything. It's pitch black down there"

"And what exactly are you planning to do?" asked Lunamaria sceptically "jump down and hope you don't break your neck, or levitate Athrun upwards with your psychic mind powers?"

Shinn hesitated.

"There's a rope in the other bag" said a voice, echoing slightly as it floated up.

Lunamaria and Shinn both shot back to the cavern "Athrun? Is that you?"

"Who else is it going to be?" enquired Athrun with interest "I didn't realise a whole herd of us had fallen down here"

Shinn ignored this and directed the torch beam downward in to the gap "are you alright?" he asked.

Athrun yelped "I was until you pointed the torch in my eyes. Dammit, Shinn, point the beam somewhere else!"

"How am I supposed to see if you're ok if I'm pointing the torch at the wall?"

"I'm perfectly fine, not even hurt" in the torchlight Athrun lifted his arm to shield his eyes and looked up at pair of silhouettes "the rope should be at the bottom of the other bag, look around for a rock or something to tie it round"

"I know how to do it," said Shinn obstinately. He huffed irritably and made some comment. Beside him Lunamaria stood quickly and returned to the car to look for the rope. He looked around for a convenient tree and spotted one of the other side of the gap; tipping the torch back down in the gap he looked down at Athrun who had now stood up "I found a tree, lets just hope it's strong enough to take your weight"

Athrun was sure there was a jibe in there somewhere but he was distracted when Shinn's shadow moved above him and he looked quickly back up. Shinn was making his way gingerly round the gaping opening in the ground to the tree "Shinn, would you be careful already?! Don't go so near to the edge"

Shinn growled and aimed the torch in to Athrun's eyes on purpose "quit treating me like a kid, do you want to be rescued or not?!"

"Absolutely, I'm simply pointing out that standing too close to the edge might result in you falling in too, I fail to see how that helps me"

The younger sighed with aggravation "I know what I'm doing alright!" he said savagely "I have a plan-whoa!" the ground disintegrated under his feet.

The sound of heavy falling made Lunamaria looked up and she was just in time to see Shinn fall through the wide gap in a slide of breaking rubble "Shinn!"

Shinn hit the ground awkwardly and hard. He cursed out loud and grappled around trying to recover his bearings. The torch had swept from his grasp when he fell and in the darkness he couldn't tell from which way the light came from. There was a noise behind him and suddenly the torch was in his face, blinding him. A hand grasped his shoulder and Athrun was kneeling beside him.

"Are you alright?" he asked politely, though Shinn heard the noise of amusement in his voice.

The Destiny fighter scowled "are you laughing!"

"Maybe a little" Athrun conceded somewhat glibly "out of curiosity, was this part of your plan?"

"Shut up!" Shinn rolled over on to his back and tried to sit up. Pain shot through his abdomen like a hot knife. Gasping he sank back down to the ground and clutched his stomach. It throbbed under his hand and there was the warm stickiness of blood "dammit!"

"Hang on" Athrun said quietly as he pointed the torch to Shinn's torso; carefully he moved Shinn's hand from the wound and studied it for a moment. Then he cast the torch about the cavern and located what he was looking for "there's some sharp rock down here, looks like you caught it on the way down"

Shinn only grunted in response. By Athrun's relaxed tone it didn't sound serious, but it felt like the sword of the Freedom had just run him through. Athrun looked at the wound again. It was difficult to made a judgement with the leaking blood and the mobile suit Shinn was adorned in, ready for battle.

"Stay still" Athrun replaced Shinn's hand over the wound "and keep pressure on it"

"I know what to do" Shinn breathed fierily.

"Shinn! Are you alright?!" Lunamaria's head appeared over the side of the light shining brightly above them "I've got the rope, I'm going to tie it to the tree and send it down!"

"First, would you retrieve the first aid from the car?" Athrun asked upward still kneeling next to Shinn.

"What?"

"Shinn's hurt"

"I'm fine!" Shinn interjected stubbornly.

"Is it serious!" Lunamaria looked down worriedly, trying to make sense of Shinn's posture in the light of the torch "that idiot!"

"Nothing the first aid won't fix, there should be some bandage in there. And we'll need some water to clean the wound" replied the Orb Admiral.

"What's this _we_?" asked Shinn through gritted teeth "I can do it myself"

"Just lie still," Athrun told him "we're trying to keep your blood loss to a minimum"

"I don't need your help!"

"Well tough, I'm helping" Athrun moved Shinn's hand aside again and inspected the injury "it doesn't look that deep, but with all the blood it's difficult to tell. I just hope there's no internal injury"

"Thanks for your upbeat diagnosis, Doctor Zala" said Shinn sarcastically. He made a second attempt to sit up, using the ground and one hand to prop himself up. A hand pushed him gently but firmly back down again and remained pressed against his chest until he stopped struggling.

"Didn't I tell you to stay still" Athrun removed his hand and redirected the torch again.

"How am I supposed to bandage the wound if I'm lying on my back!?" asked Shinn archly.

"I already told you, I'm helping you"

"I don't need your help! I know what I'm doing! Believe it or not I was trained just like you when I entered Zaft! I know all about first aid and what to do when you're bleeding. Performing small operations on my own body was something that I learnt early on, I was the top of my class!"

"I don't doubt it" Athrun agreed "but it might need stitches-"

"Like HELL I'm gonna let you anywhere near me with a needle!" Shinn shouted "I swear if you try any doctor tricks like that I'm gonna get my gun and shove so far down your throat the bullet will- _OOF_!"

"There's the first aid!" Lunamaria shouted down "are you two alright down there?!"

Delicately Athrun reached forwards and peeled the bag from Shinn's face "I got it" he confirmed.

"That hurt!" Shinn yelled up "watch where you're dropping that thing! You got me square in the face!"

"I did? Wow, what are the chances"

"It's not funny!" Shinn growled "it damn well hurt- what the HELL do you think you're doing?!" his attention snapped back to Athrun when he felt a small tug at the collar of his mobile suit.

"How else do you expect me to clean the wound?" enquired Athrun "I need to take a proper look"

"No way!" Shinn flushed dark red as he realised what taking a proper look would entail "stay the hell away from me!"

Athrun sighed and pointed the torch in Shinn's face "would you stop being a bad patient? We need to get you on your feet as quickly as possible and return to our mission"

Shinn stopped; he'd been so focussed on Athrun falling in to the cavern he'd completely forgotten why they were out there in the first place. His eyes widened in disbelief; he couldn't imagine how he could have forgotten something so important. Quietly he lifted a hand and unzipped his suit all the way down to his waist, taking care when the congealing blood caught in the mechanism "I guess that's over now" he mumbled looking up at the circle of light "we missed our chance"

Carefully Athrun lifted the t-shirt underneath the suit and peeled it up so he could clean the wound; the bleeding was slow and ceasing of its own accord "it might not be over yet" he answered pouring a little water on to a cloth and dabbing the wound.

Shinn flinched. The water was cool against his angry wound and he was sensitive there "do you think they've started the attack yet?"

"I'm not sure" Athrun wiped away the blood, pleased to see the wound was shallow "Yzak wanted to start the attack at sunset, he had a signal for when we were to start our attack from the back"

"Can we still make it?"

"We have time" the Orb Admiral replied.

"That doesn't mean we going to get there though, does it?"

Athrun looked at him, the torchlight his features were shadowed in to black and white and it was difficult to read his expression "what do you mean?"

"Come on, I know you thought it too. We're trying to attack Yuna Roma Seiran from behind and we end up falling down the cliff. Someone attacked us"

"I don't know that yet" Athrun said honestly "it could be I simply drove over something…but I do think it's strange we haven't heard from the _Eternal_. Kira wanted to know when we were in position" now Athrun pressed his hand against the wound, using the cloth to soak up any blood "talking of which, we should probably inform them of what's happened" he removed his hand "think you could put pressure on that for a moment?"

"I'm sure I'll be able to handle it" sighed Shinn only a little sarcastically.

He watched as Athrun left the torch beside him and stood up. He called to Lunamaria whose head popped over the side and stared down. They talked for a moment but Shinn didn't really listen. He genuinely hoped they would make it on time. The threat of war bothered him and the kidnap of Lacus Clyne was his fault. He wanted this over, even if he would be punished for going AWOL. There had been no real damage yet but how long would it be before an attack on Zaft would be launched? How long would it take for other nations to blame the Plants for wanting war because they were the ones who had let Lacus get taken? It was only a matter of time; the Plants would be blamed for something Yuna Roma Seiran had done.

His fist clenched in anger "I won't let that happen!" he hissed to himself "there isn't going to be another war, I'll stop it! No other families are going to get hurt!"

The anger welled up inside him. Everyone he knew had been hurt by war. His family had been blown apart right behind him. Lunamaria had almost lost her sister. Rey was gone. Captain Gladys was dead. The entire _Minerva_ ship had been destroyed. What else would this world take from him? How else could this world twist him? He'd lost everything and now there was someone else trying to make all the pain of war come back again.

"Shinn?" Athrun's face appeared over his own and he looked down at Shinn with an odd expression "are you alright?"

"I'm fine" the younger Coordinator put a hand to his forehead and rubbed it "are we done yet?"

"Don't move yet, I'll get you patched up. Does it hurt much?"

"No, get on with it"

"Sure thing" Athrun glanced back at him as he pulled the various appendages he needed "everything alright?"

"Super, hadn't you noticed? Everything is just going swimmingly"

"Enough with the sarcasm" the Orb Admiral chastised lightly "I'm serious"

Shinn didn't answer; he felt Athrun press the plaster gently to his skin and ignored the small flare of pain. A silence fell between them. It wasn't as awkward as it had been but still, there was that need between them. The silence needed to be filled by something, anything. It kept the bad things away, the uncomfortable conversations.

"Did you contact Captain Yamato?" asked Shinn.

"I got Lunamaria to do it" Athrun replied "I'm sure once Kira's heard what happened he'll put a hold on the attack until we're ready. Yzak will go spare but there's nothing to be done now"

"He'll probably blame it all on me"

"Don't be silly" Athrun said still securing the bandage down "like you said before, I was the one driving. If it's anyone's fault it's mine"

"That's only if someone didn't attack us, that would mean it was Commander Joule's plan that was to blame"

"If someone did attack then it's no one's fault" Athrun corrected "Yzak's plan is a good one, it makes sense. But even the best plans sometimes fall apart"

"Yours never did" muttered Shinn. He'd spoken without really thinking and flushed when he'd realised what he'd just said. It was almost a compliment and it made him think of the parts of Athrun he actually liked, the parts of Athrun he respected. He didn't want to think about that. It made him think of the Athrun that he'd seen fast asleep. The Athrun he'd kiss-

"Alright, all done" Athrun sat back "it should hold until we return to the _Eternal_, I'd see the medic when you get back but I don't think you'll be dying anytime soon"

Shinn sat up abruptly and patted his stomach experimentally "thanks" he said shortly. To give the Orb Admiral credit it had been done with a certain degree of professionalism; Shinn pulled his top back down over the wound and looked up. The sky above was several shades darker than it had been before and he wasn't sure how much time had passed "hadn't we better get going?"

"You gonna fly up and get the rope?" asked Athrun innocently.

"_Or_ I'm just going to get Luna to throw it down to us"

"Let her call Kira first, I want to inform him of the situation before we proceed"

"Can't we just tell him on the way?" huffed Shinn with some impatience.

"No, we'll tell him before we head off" Athrun repeated with more authority "that way, there's no nasty surprises for them"

"Ever heard of multi tasking?"

"Ever heard of not acting before you think?"

"Come on, you could tell him everything seven times over before we even reach our destination"

"And what if Kira wants to rethink the plan?" enquired Athrun "or something has gone wrong on their end and Yuna Roma uses Lacus as his weapon against us? Lacus could get hurt and I'm not taking that chance. We go when we know everything there is to know"

"You're too cautious" Shinn snorted.

"And you're too impulsive" Athrun replied repacking the first aid bag "it'll get you in to trouble"

It was a comment that meant something completely innocent, but something had happened between them and it snapped in to their brains tainting the words with that one embarrassing memory. Shinn swallowed and flushed again. He didn't want to think about it, they'd talked about it already. And he hadn't even wanted to think about it then either. But the silence was back and so was the discomfort. It hung in the air and for the first time in his life Shinn really understood the feeling of an elephant in the room.

It wasn't that he was a coward; he had the medals to prove otherwise. But what he'd done, it had been so…so…he just didn't want Athrun thinking badly of him. It was something else for Athrun to judge him on. Something else to make it difficult between them, another wall standing in the way. Everything was always in upheaval with them. Shinn wanted to respect Athrun, _did_ respect him. But at the same time Athrun questioned anything about Shinn. He questioned the things Shinn stood for because he stood for them too, and they'd both been wrong.

He questioned _everything_; it drove Shinn mad. And he hated the idea of Athrun questioning what Shinn had done. He knew the Orb Admiral's brain never shut off: he never stopped thinking. What if Athrun spent hours and hours thinking about the Destiny Pilot's lips pressing against his own? Shinn just couldn't bare that idea.

But when he'd seen Athrun asleep like that, it was as if he were another person entirely. He'd liked the person he saw lying there. Rey had once called him too kind-hearted; it had been meant as a reproach but Shinn had seen that same kind-heatedness in Athrun. He'd liked it. Of course he'd wanted to touch that kindness. There was so little of it in his life.

"You were different" he muttered out loud.

Athrun looked back from where he'd been staring off in to space. At first he wondered if he should pretend not to know what Shinn was talking about, but seconds later that idea seemed silly "different?"

Shinn wasn't looking at him, but rather flushing darkly at the ground "I don't really know how to explain it…" he trailed for a moment trying to think of some other way to describe without sounding small. But he gave up, it didn't really matter "look, it's not like I don't know it was the wrong thing to do" he said to the ground "I know what I did"

Athrun didn't reply.

Somehow this made it worse, Shinn grappled for something to say, "I'll understand if you're angry, I just wasn't thinking"

There was a small chuckle and Shinn's head shot up.

"What's so funny?!" he demanded feeling more stupid with every passing moment. If there was something more terrible Athrun could have done Shinn couldn't think of it.

"You" Athrun was smiling "you just don't think, do you? You're always leaping before you think"

"I'm glad you find it amusing" said Shinn darkly.

"Hey, don't get me wrong, thinking all the time is exhausting" Athrun shook his head slowly "sometimes I think that it would be nice to be impulsive once in a while"

"It wouldn't suit you"

"No, probably not" Athrun agreed "but it'd be a relief not to question my own beliefs every day"

"Why would someone like you think that?" asked Shinn "you never get anything wrong"

"Don't be so sure about that"

"You're not the one who went marching in to Orb raging drunk, or went to save a girl that didn't need saving, or get an Orb Admiral blown up"

"Being impulsive isn't a bad thing, Shinn, it's what I like about you"

Shinn stared at him. Athrun was smiling and that kindness was back again. But this time his eyes were open, and the compassion hit Shinn in the chest twice as hard. His eyes were so gentle. Shinn didn't think, he leant forwards and kissed him.

He pulled back abruptly his mind numb. Had he really just done the same stupid thing twice? Athrun was silent, his face as blank as Shinn's brain.

"I didn't…" Shinn began.

"No…I…" Athrun opened his mouth but had no idea what to say. He looked back at Shinn his lips tingling. Shinn had pressed their lips together hard and Athrun could still feel it. He swallowed. He hadn't felt anything last time; sleep and shock had been in the way. This time he didn't have that excuse. His heart thudded, the sense of excitement in the pit of his stomach worried him, but at the same time he didn't look away.

Shinn shifted. It had been his intention to clamber to his knees and stand up, to call for Lunamaria or something. They'd been down here for too long. But rising to his knees brought him closer to Athrun. He could feel Athrun's body; without even touching he could sense Athrun, everything about him.

Athrun watched as Shinn moved nearer to him. He should move back, he knew that. This wasn't the time or the place. They shouldn't even be talking about this, let alone taking a second round. This wasn't them. This wasn't who Shinn was. This wasn't who _Athrun_ was. He was Athrun Zala, an Admiral of Orb under another name.

"I was just…" Shinn mumbled.

He was too close. His breath touched Athrun's face warm and soft. Shinn's heart was skipping; the gap between them was still so thick with reason and common sense. But Shinn hated to listen to them. He didn't want to.

"Shinn…I…" and yet, after all that, it was Athrun who moved first.

Shinn was leaning forwards on his hands and knees, reaching over to where Athrun was sitting. Athrun tipped his head to meet him his lips skimming against Shinn's, almost feathery in their touch. Their mouths stayed for a moment, opened against each other. Shinn's mobile suit was still unzipped and his chest rose deeply in a long breath. A part of Athrun wanted to close his eyes, but he kept them open-

"Athrun! Shinn!"

Their trance broke. Lurching back from each other they scrambled to their feet, Shinn wincing a little. Athrun looked up at the head peering down at them anxiously "Lunamaria, what's wrong?"

"I can't get through!" Lunamaria called down "I've tried every signal possible, all I'm getting is static"

"Damn, something's interfering" Athrun muttered "looks like we were attacked" he thought for a moment and then replied to the worried Coordinator over him "I think it's time we made a move, it sounds like someone doesn't want us to call Kira"

"I've already tied the rope to the tree" Lunamaria replied "hang on, I'll drop it down"

"Stay away from the edge" Shinn told her.

"Huh! You're one to talk!"

Shinn bristled "I'm just pointing out that if you fall in then who knows how long we'll be down here"

"Well fortunately, Shinn Asuka, I do not have the walk of an elephant carrying weights!" said Lunamaria coolly as she stood with the rope in her arms.

Shinn scowled "would you just-"

The gunshot rang out; a second and then a third followed it before any of them had time to react. Lunamaria whirled round and looked up at the cliff side above her; there was nothing to see, but she didn't have time as another bullet hit the ground not two feet away from her.

"LUNA!" Shinn shouted.

More gunshots. The air was filled with them. One after another. Some hit the ground so hard it sent dust down to Athrun and Shinn. Lunamaria had disappeared. Then, there was silence. Athrun looked up, Shinn standing beside him. Everything was still.

"Where's Luna?!" asked Shinn desperately.

Athrun didn't reply. A shadow fell over them, casting dark down on to them like a blanket. There was a pause and Athrun's eyes widened "Shinn, get down!" he leapt on the younger Coordinator, pushing him back in to the walls of the cavern just as a tirade of bullets came slamming down.

* * *

><p>"It was a good plan" Dearka said tentatively.<p>

"It failed, Dearka" Yzak answered in a hard voice.

"Yeah, I know that" his friend admitted "but it was still a good plan"

The early morning light shone down on the _Eternal_ as various mechanics went about their various businesses, ensuring the workings of the ships were in perfect order. The _Archangel_ sitting next to them in the bay was undergoing the same procedure though her soldiers had been granted permission to leave ship until further notice. All Zaft soldiers, however, were still stuck on board the _Eternal_ and advised to remain so.

Some of the soldiers found this insulting but little could be done about it when the entire official board of Orb was against having an unknown person in Orb until the threat on their Princess had been removed.

Kira sighed and looked back at his subordinate "and you didn't see who it was?"

Lunamaria shook her head "no, Captain, he was completely covered. Mask and everything, I was taking cover behind the car when I returned fire so I still didn't get a good look at him"

"How do you know it was a guy?"

"Because he didn't have any…" Lunamaria hesitated, and then reworded herself "he had a very flat chest, Captain"

"But you're sure you definitely got him?" asked Yzak from where he was seated with a surly expression plastered on his face.

"Yes, sir" Lunamaria nodded with certainty "I think he must have thought he'd taken me out, that's why he came down to finish Athrun and Shinn off. I took him by surprise when I shot him. He left pretty quickly after that"

"That probably saved Athrun and Shinn" Kira sighed with some relief "if you hadn't got him, he would have probably kept shooting until he was convinced Athrun and Shinn were dead. They had no way to defend themselves, shooting back might have brought the whole cave down on them" he smiled at Lunamaria "we may not have Lacus back, but at least we didn't lose Athrun and Shinn. That's down to you so thank you"

"Thank you, Captain" Lunamaria saluted.

"I'll make sure you get some kinda recommendation for this" said Yzak still brooding over his report "it deserves at least a medal, you saved an Admiral of Orb after all"

"Thank you very much, sir!" Lunamaria beamed and gave a small bow of gratitude; she turned back to Kira "I was wondering if I could go see Shinn now"

"Of course, I believe he's still with the medic"

"Thank you, Captain" she turned from him and dashed over to her sister who had been peering in to the briefing room from the doorway. Taking her sister by the hand she pulled her along shouting out to Athrun as she passed.

Kira looked up as his friend came in to the room "is Shinn ok?" he asked.

"He's fine, the medic is just giving him the all clear"

"That's good" Kira sighed "what about you?"

"As I tried to tell you, there wasn't any point in me going. I wasn't hurt" Athrun replied.

"Better to be sure about that" Kira answered, "I didn't want you bleeding internally and not knowing about it"

"I'm not, you don't have to worry"

"Don't I?"

Athrun gave him a look of surprise "of course you don't, I'm perfectly fine"

"Now you are" Kira agreed "but if it wasn't for Lunamaria then you sure as hell wouldn't have been, what would I have done then?" he shook his head with a sigh "I've already lost Lacus, losing someone else would just be…"

"You haven't lost Lacus" said Athrun firmly.

"She wasn't there, Athrun, neither was Yuna Roma. There was only one person there and he was waiting for you"

"All that means is that Yuna Roma was one step ahead of us, he's playing with us"

"You make it sound like a good thing" complained Yzak from the seat; behind Dearka pulled a face at Athrun. Yzak was in a bad mood "I will just point out that nothing good has actually happened"

"I'm not saying it's good" Athrun replied ignoring the scathing tones "all I'm pointing out is that while he's playing around like this, he's not going to gain anything. Sooner or later, he's going to have to come out and face us. All he's doing now is prove to us that he's the one with the power"

"I hate to point this out, but he _is_"

Dearka lifted his eyebrow and gave Athrun a knowing look. Athrun sighed but made nothing of it; Yzak's plan hadn't worked, it was just going to take the Commander a while to get over that.

"I just hope he doesn't hurt Lacus while he's playing his game"

"We won't let him" Athrun replied "whoever was helping Yuna is hurt, there was blood at the scene. If we can get a match to the DNA sample it might give us the clue"

"Or, it might just be a waste of time" said Yzak.

"My, aren't you cheerful" commented Dearka.

"No, Athrun's right" Kira answered, "the blood might be a valuable clue, it would give us a break"

Athrun nodded. A small smile appeared on Kira's face. They looked at Yzak. He looked back in disgust "I hate positive people"

* * *

><p>"You wanted to see me, Captain" Shinn asked through the intercom.<p>

"_Yes, come in_" Kira's voice crackled.

Shinn hit the button and the door slid before him; he stepped in and found the young Captain sitting down at a computer, looking over his shoulder as Shinn entered. He wasn't alone, however; Shinn realised this with a shock when he found Athrun sitting in a seat behind a low table. A glance passed between them as Kira shut down his computer and they looked away again.

"Thanks for coming" Kira was saying, "Orb has done a report of its findings and I wanted you to add any further details for Zaft's- are you alright?"

"What?" Shinn's eyes snapped back to him "yes, Captain, I'm fine"

"Are you sure?" asked Kira "you seem a little flushed"

"Really, everything's fine" Shinn's mouth was dry "it's just a little warm in here, that's all"

Kira blinked, but let it go anyway "well, some representatives of Orb are on their way now so it's shouldn't take long"

"It's fine, Captain"

There was a pause.

"How's your injury?" Kira enquired "not too bad I hope"

"The medic said it shouldn't impede on my duties"

"That's good to hear"

Another pause.

"Um, I've been meaning to ask," said Shinn "will I be required to go back in to the cells for now? No one has told me"

"No, the charges have been postponed until we've rescued Lacus" Kira replied, "Yzak isn't happy about it, but I think we need all the strength we can get. You'll have your freedom on the ship like everyone else, but that might change if you go in to Orb again"

"I understand. Thank you, Captain"

Another pause. Shinn was still looking red in the face. Kira glanced at Athrun to find his friend was also looking a little warm. Kira blinked again. Was he missing something? He didn't feel warm. Were Athrun and Shinn coming down with fevers? Maybe he was working them too hard.

"_Captain_" the door opened and Deputy Trine peered in "the Orb representatives are here"

"Thank you, Arthur" Kira stood from the computer "you can show them in"

Trine stood aside and two people walked in to the room. Kira stopped mid-step. Shinn didn't think it any of his business until Athrun's face also sharpened. He turned and his eyes narrowed partly in surprise, and then aggression. Sai was standing with papers in his arms looking awkward and even more so when he spotted Shinn. The only one who didn't notice anything strange was Deputy Trine who saluted once and left. The reason for this awkwardness, the cause of everyone's sudden attention was next to Sai with a rather blank look on his face.

Kira cleared his throat "Kuzzey, it's good to see you, it's been a long time" he glanced at Athrun who appeared at his side and, as one, they looked at Shinn.

"Yeah" said Kuzzey slowly. He seemed a little unsure of himself as he stood there. Not that anyone could blame him for feeling a little insecure, Shinn's glare was practically chopping him in half "I've been hearing a lot about you, Kira, what with you being the Freedom and all" he added.

"Yes" Kira glanced at Athrun who in turn looked again at Shinn.

Shinn looked back at him resolutely, the kind of face that refused to back down. Athrun gave him a look of reproach to which Shinn replied with a twitch of the eyebrows before looking away stubbornly. Athrun sighed silently and then shook his head at Kira.

The young Captain cleared his throat "look, Kuzzey, it's great to see you and I don't mind sending Shinn-"

"No" Kuzzey held up his hand to stop him and then looked directly at Shinn who wasn't all together impressed at the prospect of being sent away again "actually, I'm glad we met again"

"Oh" said Shinn sceptically "ready for round two or something?"

"Shinn!" Athrun chided.

"No, I wanted to apologise" Kuzzey answered without bristling at Shinn less than welcome tone "for the time we had that fight in Orb" he held out his hand.

At this Sai visibly relaxed with relief while Athrun and Kira both looked on with happy surprise. Shinn was also stunned, and looked down at Kuzzey's proffered hand as if he'd never seen a handshake before "I don't follow"

"That fight we had, it was my fault. All of it" Kuzzey explained "I was drunk, and I get so angry when I'm drunk" he shrugged helplessly "I know it's not much of an excuse but it's the truth. The death of my parents really knocked it out of me, I haven't really been myself since"

Shinn paused; it wasn't like he'd never lost a family before. Even so this guy had said some pretty pointed stuff, and he'd sounded really against Coordinators despite being in Orb. Shinn wasn't sure he could accept an apology after such an attack and in Orb of all places; he suddenly wondered why that country was such a curse for him. Then he caught Athrun's face; the Admiral's expression was clear. Accept the apology with complaint. Kira's face was also carrying the same opinion though his face had more of a request about it, compared to Athrun's silent order.

"Whatever" he took the hand offered to him and figured it would be stupid to put up a fuss. Though he refused to return the smile Kuzzey gave him.

"I'm glad it's settled" Kira went to Kuzzey's side and put his hand on his shoulder as he and Shinn parted hands "Kuzzey, I'm grateful you wanted to put it right. And I'm sorry you lost your parents, what happened was terrible"

"Yeah, it was. I miss my parents so much" Kuzzey's smile turned sad "but I see better now, it was just a few who was the cause of their death. I know who to blame"

"When this is over, me and you will do some catching up. Sai and Miriallia too" Kira led them to the seats around the table and sat down.

Athrun, however, approached Shinn "that was good of you"

Shinn looked away from him, not willing to take the compliment.

Athrun caught the look; he cleared his throat tensely and said uneasily "look, I know we need to talk-"

"No, we don't!" Shinn hissed as Kira started to talk to Sai and Kuzzey about their report.

"Shinn, you can't keep running from this" Athrun persisted "I understand you're feeling awkward about it, but this can't keep happening. You need to understand what's going through your head"

"And what about you?" asked Shinn abruptly.

Athrun looked taken aback "what?"

"As I recall you kissed me too"

The Admiral's mouth opened, startled, then he shook his head "no, that was…um, what I mean is…" he stopped, and started again "that wasn't what it looked like"

"No?"

"No, I was just…" Athrun trailed off, and turned slightly as Kira called them over. He shook his head again, this time harder as if to deny something "this isn't the place" was all he said before walking to seats looking troubled.

Shinn snorted, "now whose running away" he muttered with some resentment. He took his place standing behind Kira while Athrun sat down opposite his friend and next to his Orb counterparts, refusing to look at Shinn in the face.

"As I was saying, it looks like the front tire of the car was shot away" Sai continued as his superior took a copy of his report and stared at it very hard "we found evidence of someone using a ledge as a vantage point above the road"

"What about the blood that was spilt when Lunamaria shot the attacker?" asked Kira.

"No matches as yet, but we're only looking at the Orb database to begin with" Sai replied, "Princess Cagalli has contacted the Plants for access to their database. We're expecting a quick reply, the Plants have agreed to cooperate with us"

"How is Cagalli?"

"She's fine, she's safely secured" Sai reassured him without managing to keep a sigh from his voice.

Kira suddenly got the impression that Cagalli was making hassle; she would want to be in the middle of the action, ready to bring down Yuna Roma. He smiled fondly "have there been any further sightings of Yuna Roma?"

"Not yet, he's gone underground for the time being. But we're looking for him" Sai gestured to Kuzzey "we've been looking through the video he sent us, trying to get any further clue"

"And?"

"There was only one thing that really got my attention" Kuzzey continued on from his friend "there was someone else standing just off camera, the shadow of whoever it might be was casting on the ground behind Yuna Roma. I can't tell you much, but it was definitely a guy"

Kira looked at Athrun to see if he'd picked up on this and found his friend staring at the report blankly; once again, he seemed distracted "do you think it's the same guy?"

Athrun looked quickly from the report in his hands as if snapping back to attention "could be" he reasoned "we don't know how many people Yuna Roma has behind him, we don't even know why anyone would follow him"

"Maybe he has something to entice them with" suggested the Zaft Captain.

"Possibly, there's no real way to tell until we capture one" Athrun answered "if we capture one we might be able to make them talk"

"And the one that attacked you didn't say anything?" asked Kira "he didn't make any brash speeches about how great Yuna Roma was?"

"No, nothing like that. He was there to kill us. He was clever too, I had no idea he was there until he started firing on Lunamaria"

"Pilot Hawke didn't see anything, sir?" asked Sai, making amendments to the bottom of his own report.

"No"

"Did any of you hear anything?"

"What about you, Shinn?" Kira looked over his shoulder.

Shinn shook his head "no, Captain, I didn't know anything about it until Athrun pushed me out the way" for some reason, he flushed a little.

Kira sighed "I think that's all we can tell you for now. I'll give Shinn a copy of your report so he can confirm the events"

"Thanks, Ki- Captain Yamato" Sai grinned "I'm gonna have to get used to that"

Kira chuckled "don't be silly, Kira's fine"

"We'll inform the _Eternal_ of anything else we find" Sai added as he and Kuzzey stood again.

"And I'll go through the footage we have" Kuzzey said, "see if I've missed anything"

"Thanks, Kuzzey" Kira stood too taking another copy of the report from Sai "I had no idea you were good with stuff like that"

"I've taken a couple of courses in the topic over the last couple of years" Kuzzey explained, "it's a lot of work, but it's good"

"And it keeps his mind off things" Sai muttered to Kira.

The Captain nodded in agreement and then turned to Shinn "I just need you to read through it and agree that's what happened, Lunamaria's already given me her report but get her to read through this as well. There might something she forgot in hers"

"Yes, Captain" Shinn saluted once and turned away, part of him wanted to look at Athrun but he refused the urge.

"Hey, I was wondering, is it possible for me to see Cagalli?" Kira asked as his subordinate left "I'd like to see she was ok"

"I'm not sure the officials will be happy about it, they want her location to stay hidden from anyone who isn't Orb for now" Sai thought aloud "on the other hand, I think she'll probably fire anyone who doesn't let her see you. Why don't you come with us? I'm sure I'll be able to persuade someone"

"Thanks, Sai" Kira turned back to Athrun "are you coming? I'm sure I could see her if you were with me"

"It'll have to be later" Athrun replied with a sigh "I have to finish my own report, just tell them you have my permission. That should get you through"

Kira looked at him for a moment, Athrun blinked but Kira nodded and turned away. They left and for the first time since he'd left the cavern Athrun was alone, with his thoughts. Sighing he dropped his head in to his hands and tried to make sense of it all.

Shinn was right. Athrun had kissed him, kissed him _back_. He hadn't meant to do it. He didn't even know why he had done. His brain had been totally blank, all it could think about was how long it had been since he had touched anyone. But he wasn't like that, not at all. He didn't go around thinking about spending the night with someone or 'getting lucky' as Dearka so fondly dubbed it. That wasn't how he worked.

He was Alex Dino, Admiral to Orb. That's the only thing he had time to think about. Being Admiral Dino and finding Lacus Clyne were the most important things in his life. Everything else was meaningless by comparison.

And yet, Shinn had been _there_. And it had been so close, so intimate. It had been the most contact Athrun had had with anyone in a while, longer than anyone knew. He couldn't even remember the last time he and Cagalli had…

And as for Meyrin, everyone mistook the relationship they had, maybe even Meyrin herself. It wasn't like that. Athrun wasn't like that with anyone. Until Shinn had pushed himself in to Athrun's line of vision: even now Athrun still had no idea why he had. But how he wished Shinn had stayed away. If only he'd backed away again Athrun would have been able to resist, easily. But Shinn had stayed where he was and that had just been too much for Athrun to take.

In that moment, he'd completely forgotten about being an Admiral, working for Cagalli, Kira's constant worrying. And most important of all: the kidnapping of Lacus.

"You should have stayed away, Shinn" he whispered in to his hands.

The door opened again and Athrun looked up; Kuzzey was standing there, looking cautiously in to the room. Athrun straightened in his seat and readjusted his features in to what he hoped was a neutral expression.

"Did you forget something?"

Kuzzey looked at him and stepped in to the room "yeah"

Athrun looked about him to see if anything had been left on the seat "you should really have a Zaft escort with you while you're on board"

"I know, but I'm only going to be a minute" replied Kuzzey as the door closed behind him.

"Well, what did you forget?" asked Athrun.

There was a click. Athrun looked up again and felt his stomach drop.

Kuzzey was pointing a gun at him.

Athrun stood up "what are you doing?"

"Like I said" Kuzzey moved his weapon to point at Athrun's chest and stepped in the way of Athrun's own piece, left on the table by the computer "I know who to blame now"

* * *

><p>Didn't I tell ya Kuzzey had a part to play! So much drama! Exciting...for me anyways.<p>

So, please leave a review and any thoughts.

Thanks for reading!

Kizzes!

Kiki


	13. When The Tension Breaks

Ok, so I know it's been a while. Longer than I intented at any rate, especially when I left you guys on such a cliffhanger. An AWESOME cliffhanger.

I told you all Kuzzey was going to be a part of the story. He might turn out to be a little OCC, but the circumstances in which I need him makes a little room in that area, I think...hope.

Last Time: Athrun and Shinn had smooched again, this time Athrun played a bigger part. And Kuzzey came on to the ship to kill Athrun.

Oh, and I just gotta mention that the fight Athrun and Shinn have in this chapter is just awesome. It's my favourite fight.

Anyway, no more ado.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Silver And Gold<strong>

**Chapter Thirteen: When The Tension Breaks**

Athrun stood quietly, wondering how to handle this. His gun was by the computer where Kira had been working. In between him and his weapon was Kuzzey standing his arm outstretched with the barrel of the gun pointing at Athrun's chest. Of course, Athrun wasn't completely without arms; even now he still had the knife in the hem of his boot. But he couldn't beat the speed of a bullet.

"What's this about, Kuzzey?"

Kuzzey scoffed "don't you _know_?!"

"Sorry, I'm not privileged to that information"

"You're Athrun Zala!" Kuzzey snarled, anger rising quick "it's all your fault!"

"What is?"

"The Breaking of the World of course!"

Athrun's eyes widened "what?" he asked with a gasp "I don't understand"

"Oh, pretend all you want! But I know the truth!" Kuzzey's gripped tightened on his gun. He gave a laugh that was totally without humour "you know, I didn't realise it was you until I had that fight with that Shinn Asuka and Sai begged you not to arrest me. Up until then I thought you were just some Admiral who worked for Orb, but that's not the truth, is it? You're a spy! A spy who believes in the same ideals your father did!"

"No, that's not-"

"Don't lie to me!" Kuzzey shouted, "are you seriously trying to tell me that those idiots who moved Junius Seven acted alone! They had help! A leader who told them what to do! Did you really think you'd get away with it? That there wouldn't be rumours that the son of Patrick Zala had followed his father's footsteps!"

"Rumours?" Athrun repeated. He hadn't known about any rumours. They had never been mentioned, and he'd never once been questioned over the movement of Junius Seven. Had Durandal protected him from that?

"When I heard the rumours that's when I first suspected that Athrun Zala had been the brains behind it! Then I heard that he'd even _been_ there, he was actually there when Junius Seven actually crashed in to the world!" Kuzzey glared at him "you actually going to deny that?!"

"No" said Athrun calmly "I was there, helping the _Minerva_ stop the collision"

"I told you not to lie! I know you're behind it! I know you follow in your father's footsteps! Your mother died on Junius Seven, the whole world knows that, and you wanted revenge! So you decided to carry out what your father had started!"

"That's not true"

Kuzzey ignored him "like I believe that!"

"I'm telling the truth, Kuzzey" Athrun insisted "I admit I was there when Junius Seven started its descent, but I took a mobile suit and tried to stop it. I killed the men trying to move it"

"Yeah, that's what Durandal said! He protected you, tried to claim that you didn't believe in your father's ideals" Kuzzey snorted "because he's someone we could all believe and trust"

"Kuzzey, I know your parents died during the Breaking of the World, I know how torn up you must be" Athrun spoke slowly and quietly "but this is a mistake, I'm not who you think I am. I can understand your reasoning but you've got it wrong"

"Really?! You've no dark secrets hiding in the closet? Then why do you go around Orb pretending to be someone you're not! Why would somebody do that if they had nothing to hide!"

Athrun hesitated; he'd always kept his fake name to be sure. Athrun Zala had a reputation; he'd left his army twice, he was the son of a madman. Alex Dino was whoever Athrun presented him to be; he had no dark past, no reason to be ashamed. As Alex Dino Athrun could do the work in Orb he wanted to do, carry out the fight for peace through discussion the way he and Kira dreamed of. People respected Alex Dino, admired him even. He wasn't tainted.

But Kuzzey would never understand that. He was in pain, hurting because his family had been destroyed. His reasoning wasn't without logic; Athrun hadn't hated his father, he'd never claimed to. It wasn't a leap for someone to assume that the lack of hatred meant he believed in what his father had believed in.

"You know, I can't believe this is happening" Kuzzey broke the silence without bothering to wait for Athrun's answer "I never thought I'd get this chance. Even when I knew that Athrun Zala had been behind it all I thought there was no way I'd ever get my revenge. Athrun Zala had disappeared when he betrayed Zaft for the second time; no one knew where he was. I suppose you didn't believe in Durandal's world domination plan, huh, that was too much like Naturals and Coordinator living together forever" Kuzzey stared at him dazed "but here you are, under a new name, pretending to care"

"It's not like that, Kuzzey"

"I'm curious, are you responsible for kidnapping Lacus Clyne too?" Kuzzey asked "I wouldn't be surprised, anything to get Coordinators and Naturals fighting. I suppose you've got some master plan to ensure the Coordinators win"

"No, I don't" Athrun said, "I believe in Orb, I believe in the ideals portrayed by Cagalli. That's why I live here, that's why I've been trying to make the nations agree with each other. I want a world where there's no war, no conflict"

Kuzzey tilted his head "you're a good actor, I'll give you that. Either that, or you're mad, two different people in the same body. I wonder who will win in the end, the Admiral of Orb or the son of a madman"

"Kuzzey-"

"NO!" Kuzzey shouted, "my parents are DEAD! They died because a part of Junius Seven dropped on them! YOU DID IT! YOU KILLED THEM! THEY'RE DEAD BECAUSE-"

Shinn stepped in to the room and the door closed behind him; he had been going to announce himself, but a part of him knew that if he stopped to press a button he wouldn't come in at all. He froze. Athrun gasped "Shinn, get out of here!"

Kuzzey turned round, gun swinging; Shinn was already moving. He pulled out his weapon and had it pointing at Kuzzey before the other managed to raise his gun.

"Put the gun down!" Shinn snarled.

"You should leave," said Kuzzey firmly "this has nothing to do with you. I am sorry for what happened in Orb, really I am. I know it's not your fault now, I know not every Coordinator is to blame for what happened"

"I'm going to say this again" Shinn replied coldly "lower your gun or I'll kill you"

"Shinn, no, don't shoot him!" Athrun stepped in "just leave, go and get Kira"

Kuzzey swung back round "you have no right to talk! Don't even speak!"

"I'm not leaving you here with this mad idiot!" Shinn snapped.

"Yes, you are. You're not helping, Shinn" Athrun repeated "go and get Kira"

"Like hell I am!" Shinn took the safety off his gun "I'll shoot him first!"

"No, you won't. You don't understand what's going on, he's not thinking straight"

"Don't listen to his lies!" Kuzzey growled, "he's just trying to make you stay on his side! You don't know the truth, he's a traitor!"

Shinn clenched his teeth "a traitor?! You think Athrun's traitor of Orb? You bastard, Athrun betrayed the _Minerva_ FOR Orb!"

"Oh is that what he told you! I bet he told he had nothing to with the Breaking of the World either!"

Shinn's eyes widened, more out of surprise than anything. He looked passed Kuzzey at Athrun "is that what he really thinks? He thinks you had something to do with that?"

"What he thinks doesn't matter" Athrun answered "lower your weapon, it's just making things worse"

Shinn's grip tightened "not while he's pointing gun at you!"

"Look, both of you need to drop your guns. This conversation doesn't need any weapons"

"Sure, I'll my gun when he drops his" Shinn agreed.

"Shinn!"

Shinn growled angrily "I'm not going to let him shoot you!"

"So you're with him, huh?!" Kuzzey turned round, his weapon still aloft "really?"

"Dammit" Athrun muttered.

"You're working with him?" asked Kuzzey.

"Yeah" said Shinn, eyes narrowed "I'm with him. What you gonna do about it?"

"Shinn!" Athrun persisted.

The Destiny fighter rolled his eyes "saying my name repeatedly isn't going to make me drop the gun. Like I said, I'll drop it when he does"

"You know, it makes sense" Kuzzey thought aloud "you got real pissed when I insulted you, I thought it was because we were in Orb and Orb believes that all can live together in peace. But it was because you believe in Athrun Zala's ideals"

"That depends on what you think Athrun's ideals are," replied Shinn, he'd had enough "I'll tell you one last time, drop your gun or I'll kill you"

"Sorry, but I'm not going anywhere until Athrun Zala is dead. He killed my parents" Kuzzey turned round, back to Athrun.

Shinn fired.

"SHINN!" Athrun shouted.

* * *

><p>"What the hell were you thinking?!" Athrun snapped, glaring at Shinn.<p>

Shinn glared back "what was _I _thinking?!" he repeated heatedly "what about you?! You were the one standing around while he pointed a gun at you!"

"I knew what I was doing!"

"Oh really? Because from where I was standing, it looked like you were about to get yourself shot!"

"That wasn't going to happen!"

"No? He wasn't going to kill you?"

"I was going to talk him out of it! You had no idea what was going on, Shinn! That situation could have gone a completely different way!"

"Well shit, sorry for saving your ass!"

"You could have got yourself shot!"

"And you were going to get shot!" Shinn argued back "anyway, what kind of idiot dives to save the guy trying to kill him?!"

"If I hadn't pushed Kuzzey out the way, you would have killed him!" Athrun replied tersely.

"He deserved it!"

"No, he didn't. He's lost his family, he's hurting. You know what that feels like!"

"Sure, but I don't go around trying to shoot innocent people! That guy was going to kill you! You realise that's why he gave that stupid apology, right! He used me to get to you!"

"That's hardly the point!"

"Of course it is! It proves he planned it! He must have been planning from the moment he realised who you were in Orb! Hell, he probably looked at the Yuna Roma tape just so he'd have an excuse to get on this ship! That crap about knowing who was to blame, he was talking about you!"

"I'm aware of that!"

"And yet you still saved him! He accused you of being the leader of terrorists that moved Junius Seven! There's as much truth in that as there is in Lacus Clyne being a macho man!"

"I know!"

"Well you should have killed him on that accusation alone!" Shinn snarled, "to accuse anyone of being a part of that disaster-"

"Kuzzey's parents are dead, he blames the people he believes are responsible. You do the exact same thing!" Athrun interrupted abruptly.

"I've never tried to shoot them before!"

"Only because you've never had the chance" the Admiral looked at him "maybe you'd better ask yourself what you'd do if you got the chance, you might find the answer is different than what you might think. Kuzzey wasn't going to kill me, all he wanted was the chance to let out all the anger he was feeling, I can't blame him-"

Shinn let out a snarl of frustration "you see, this is what I don't get about you! You're always so understanding! He was going to kill you, Athrun, in revenge for something you didn't do! More than that, you tried to stop Junius Seven! You're seriously telling me you're ok with what he did!"

"I believe in forgiveness, talking it through until a level of understanding is met. I can't choose those as my ideals and then condemn someone who's hurt and angry. I'm not a hypocrite"

"Don't you believe in self preservation at all!" Shinn shouted, "you're always being so goddamn noble and good! Why can't you just for once think about-"

"Shinn, that's enough" from where he stood over Kuzzey Kira turned to speak to his subordinate "the point is that this situation was resolved and no one was severely hurt"

From the floor the medic lifted his eyebrows to the heavens before returning his attention to Kuzzey who was gripping his shoulder tightly. The blood oozed from him but he gave no sound of pain. He'd been writhing, fighting to kill Athrun who had been forced to subdue him before the medic could take a look at his shoulder. Now, with sedatives in his system, he was quiet and dull.

Sai stood over him looking almost heartbroken while Miriallia, who had come from the _Archangel_ when she'd heard, knelt down beside him sadly. Shinn's teeth clenched and he looked ready to say more, but Kira shook his head "arguing now isn't going to do any good. Athrun's alive and well, and Kuzzey will be fine, that's the main thing" he said again.

"The only reason Athrun is alive is because I got here before anything happened, that bastard was going to kill him" Shinn couldn't understand it, no matter how many times he tried to pressure the issue, neither Kira nor Athrun seemed to understand his point.

"It doesn't matter how many times you say it" Athrun replied seemingly picking up on his thoughts "my point still stands, Kuzzey was on the edge, he needed someone to blame because his parents were taken away. He needed someone to tell him it was ok to be angry for what happened, that it wasn't his fault. Marching in and pointing a gun at him wasn't the way to go about it"

"Wait, so you're saying I did the wrong thing?!" Shinn fumed "I don't believe you!"

"I'm saying you made a bad situation worse" Athrun corrected "coming in here and siding with me like that, it was stupid, Shinn"

"You mean you actually wanted me to agree with him!? Call you a traitor and accuse you of moving Junius Seven?!"

"I said enough" Kira cut through in a firmer voice "you too, Athrun. Stop fighting"

Athrun, who looked as if he were about to say more, stopped and gave a small sigh. Shinn stopped too, but he looked ready to attack something at a moment's notice. Kira came to the pair of them; Athrun was looking tense, as if something darker than Shinn's errors was bothering him. Shinn was simply looking pissed, partly because Athrun had nearly been killed and partly because Athrun didn't seem grateful that he was still alive. Either way, it was about Athrun, which puzzled Kira a little.

He was aware that Shinn would probably prefer Athrun to be his superior rather than Kira. But something was different in the way he glared at the floor; he seemed mad that he'd protected Athrun but the Admiral was dismissive of the fact.

Kira felt the need to pacify the situation. Before Shinn shot Athrun himself "it's lucky you came back when you did" he said "it'll certainly teach Athrun not to leave his gun by the computer"

"Hmm" this seemed to calm Shinn's temper a little, but even so he glanced back at Athrun.

Kira glanced at the Admiral half expecting him to catch this obvious need for approval, but Athrun seemed to be ominous and his mood was only darkening. This surprised Kira too; Athrun was usually so perceptive when it came to another's feelings, especially Shinn. The air was so thick between them it was practically solid.

"Kira" Miriallia appeared at his side "if you don't mind, I think we'd like to take Kuzzey in to an Orb hospital. Get him away from this ship"

"Yes, of course" Kira nodded "Deputy Trine will escort you. And please, Miriallia, I want to know he's doing ok"

"Of course, I'll keep you posted" she returned to Kuzzey and knelt back down beside him.

Sai meanwhile had crossed over to the three Coordinators; the first he addressed was Athrun "sir, I don't really know how to say how sorry I am for all this. Had I known this was going to happen I would never-"

"It's alright" Athrun said quietly, somewhat calmer than earlier "just ensure he gets the help he needs, whatever that might be"

"Yes, sir, thank you so much for your understanding"

"You realise I can't let this go though"

From her place beside Kuzzey Miriallia looked up "Athrun, surely you could-"

Athrun shook his head "not this time. He came on a Zaft ship with the intention to kill; he could have easily shot a member of the Zaft crew. But worst of all he's tainted his reputation as a surveillance expert, anything he found of the tape of Yuna Roma we can't use on grounds that he used his skills to get to me"

"But there wasn't anything on the tape that was useful" Miriallia protested, "we all know that"

"That's not the point" Athrun replied "the first time, in Orb, it was simply a fight on the street between two guys who had been drinking. This time, Kuzzey's messed with official business. The shadow he saw on the tape can't be used as evidence because he could have tampered with it in order to give information Zaft would want to hear in the report, all so he could get on this ship. That's interfering with finding Lacus and, I'm sorry, I can't allow anyone to do that"

Miriallia looked down at the half conscious Kuzzey slumped on the floor "I understand"

"Look, all that can wait" Kira reminded her "for now, Kuzzey needs treatment, and help. Just take care of him" he looked to Sai "protect him, alright"

"Absolutely" Sai agreed, then he turned to Shinn. The Destiny Pilot looked at him expectantly as if waiting for some sort of regret that Shinn had shot a friend. Instead, Sai bowed "thank you for protecting Admiral Dino, I'm glad you showed up when you did"

Shinn was astonished; whatever he'd been expecting it hadn't been that. Nevertheless, it was only Sai thanking him. But a word of gratitude was a word of gratitude, even if it hadn't come from Athrun "you're welcome, I guess" he said awkwardly.

"I've been meaning to ask" Kira remembered, "why did you come back here in the first place?"

"I…" Shinn stopped; he had no idea what to say. Against his will, his face reddened. Athrun looked at him and realised Kira had stumbled on to a dangerous topic. Contrary to the constant glances he'd been given Athrun in search for appreciation the Destiny fighter now refused to look at the Admiral at all; hurriedly he tried to think of a proper response "I…was looking for Luna when I was passing. I thought I heard something inside and investigated"

Even without looking Shinn felt Athrun's eyebrows lift; he knew his excuse sounded lame, especially in light of the fact that the entire ship was soundproofed. Kira, however, seemed to accept this, or he didn't push the topic at least "it's good that you were passing when you did" was all his Captain said.

* * *

><p>"There you are"<p>

Athrun looked up from the piece of paper he'd been reading as Kira entered the Captain's cabin "hey"

"I've been looking for you"

"Has something else happened? Is there news on Lacus?"

"No, it's not that" Kira shook his head and took a seat at the table his friend sat "it's about you actually"

"Have I done something?"

"Not exactly" Kira paused.

Athrun blinked "sorry, Kira, I'm not sure I'm following you"

"I wanted to talk to you"

"About?"

"About whatever it is you've got bothering you"

"Nothing, I'm fine"

"Athrun, please don't try and make me believe that" Kira gave him a knowing look "something's got to you, I saw your face when you told me what Kuzzey had done. There's something that's really hit you" he waited expectantly.

To give Athrun credit he remained silent for longer than Kira thought he would; he sat silently looking back as if trying to out last the gaze. Of course he didn't stand a chance. Relenting he put down the paper he'd been reading and worded the nasty little thought that had settled comfortably in the back of his brain "it doesn't usually matter, but seeing Kuzzey pointing that gun at me, it just made me question what Orb would do if they found out my real name"

Kira watched as voicing his question dropped Athrun further in to his dark pit "it wouldn't matter, Athrun" he whispered softly "Orb would still accept you"

"Are you sure about that?" asked Athrun looking back at him still "I'm Patrick Zala's son, the man who wanted to destroy all Naturals forever"

"That's him, not you" Kira persisted.

"You know that, Cagalli knows that. The _Archangel_ and practically any who knows me. But what about the people that don't know me, Kira? The people of Orb I'll never meet, the Official Board of Orb who only know me as Alex Dino. What would they do if they found out who I really was?"

"Athrun, your name doesn't matter. It's what you've done that counts, and the whole of Orb respects and loves Alex Dino for the things he's done, not for his name" Kira reached forwards and gripped the Admiral's shoulder "you should read the papers more, there's tons of articles in there talking about you and how hard you work for Orb. Even Miriallia's written a few that compliment you, and we both know how critical she is"

"But if they knew who I was, Kira, all that would change"

"You don't know that. The people live there because they're open minded to anyone, they want to live in peace with each other"

"That may be, but no one in Orb is stupid. You have to prove that you're worth trusting"

"You've already proved that"

"No, Alex Dino has proved it" Athrun corrected "Athrun Zala has disappeared, he's been gone since he betrayed Zaft for a second time after Durandal protected him by claiming Athrun Zala had nothing to do with the Breaking of the World"

"No one thinks that"

"Only because Athrun Zala isn't around. People find out who Alex Dino really is and they'll start questioning why I felt the need to hide, that's just natural. I'm already rumoured to be the leader behind the Breaking of Word incident, there's people in the world who think I follow in my father's footsteps"

"That's only rumour" Kira replied, "you can't change the whole world. That's impossible for anyone to do, there are always going to be people who believe the worst of you, that's just the way it is"

"But-"

"Athrun, you're the kindest person I know" the Freedom fighter cut in "Orb knows who you really are, the Admiral who works with Cagalli to find peace in this world. Even if someone did reveal who you really were no one would forget what you've done for them, have faith in that"

Athrun looked doubtful, but Kira was right; he couldn't make the whole world like him, just like there were those who disliked Cagalli despite half the world thinking she was the best leader Orb had ever had, surpassing even her father. He sighed heavily and dropped his gaze silently.

"Anyway, what's going on with you and Shinn?" asked Kira.

Athrun's head shot up again, startled "what do you mean?"

"You went pretty hard on him back there, he was just trying to help"

"I know" Athrun rubbed his temple "I didn't mean to lecture him like that"

"So what's the problem between you two?"

"Problem?"

"You two have been acting oddly since you were attacked in the cavern, and you've been distracted too. Did something happen between you two?"

For one stomach dropping moment Athrun dreaded Kira had figured it all out, he cleared his throat "like what?"

Kira looked puzzled "I don't know, a fight?"

"Shinn and I are always fighting, that's how we work"

"Well, I know that, but did something else happen down in that cavern? Something you don't want to tell me?"

Athrun had never been able to lie to Kira, not even once. All Kira had to do was give him that intense open eyed look of worried puzzlement and Athrun's deepest darkest secrets came bubbling out of him, stumbling over themselves to be the first. Now he had no idea what to do. Lying was impossible, but telling the truth wouldn't be fair on Shinn. He was pretty sure Shinn was anxious to keep anything that happened a well-guarded secret. And to admit Athrun had returned his advances was just too much for Athrun to admit to himself, let alone to that intent expression eager to ease any worries the Admiral had.

"I…"

Kira waited.

"It…" Athrun took another breath and stopped again. He'd never been torn like this before. Telling Kira everything was just natural, a habit he'd never questioned. But Shinn's expression of shame floated in to his brain; it had taken a lot for the younger Coordinator to open up like he had, Athrun knew that. Kira was everything to the Justice fighter, but he couldn't simply betray that look on Shinn's face.

"Athrun, whatever it is I'll listen, you know that" Kira pressed gently, it was concerning him more and more. The longer Athrun remained silent the longer Kira's brain was working on several frightening theories all becoming ridiculous.

"It's nothing," said Athrun finally "we have more important things to consider right now"

"Athrun"

"No, really it's fine. It's nothing to worry about. We have to concentrate on finding Lacus and bringing Yuna Roma down"

"But-"

"Honestly, don't think about it. I can handle it" he smiled to reassure his friend "you have enough to think about, leave this to me. Don't worry, it's not going to make me forget about Lacus"

Kira still looked worried; he wanted to point out to Athrun that whatever had happened was already making the Admiral forget about Lacus. But Kira had no idea what Shinn could have done to make Athrun so distracted. What could have been so terrible or traumatic that Athrun would be diverted like this?

It worried him, but he let it go. Forcing Athrun to talk was never something he'd done; he preferred Athrun to tell him everything of his own free will. The problem was that this was the first time Athrun had refused to talk to him about something, and that was possibly the most worrying thing of all.

* * *

><p>"Meyrin"<p>

She looked up from the gun she was studying and broke out in a smile when Athrun came in to the target room.

Athrun looked about him "are you here on your own?"

"Luna was with me, but she went off to read that report Captain Yamato wanted her to read," Meyrin replied setting down the gun "are you here to practice?"

"Actually I was looking for Shinn, you don't know where he is, do you?"

"I think he's in his rooms" her expression became worried "are you alright? I heard about what happened"

"Yeah, I'm fine" Athrun smiled and leant against the wall "it was nothing really"

"It didn't sound like nothing" Meyrin objected "they say that guy would have killed you if Shinn hadn't distracted him"

"I don't think it would have come to that"

"You don't know that" she persisted.

"I'm sorry to have worried you" the Admiral replied with a small dip of his head "talking of Kuzzey, there's a position in surveillance that's opened up. That's if you're still focussed on joining Orb?"

"I am" Meyrin nodded hard "I haven't changed my mind, not even a bit"

"Well I'm not saying I'm against the idea" Athrun admitted with a smile "and of course you don't have to join surveillance, that was just an example. But please bare Lunamaria in mind, won't you"

"I know you gave her a letter to allow her to come to Orb" Meyrin answered.

"That's only temporary" Athrun persisted "it also gives you time to realise what you really want, if you don't like it Orb then you can return with her"

"That's not going to happen!" she replied passionately "I believe in what Orb stands for, I want to help build a world we all dream of!"

Athrun gave her a studied look "you really feel strongly about this, don't you?"

She nodded keenly "I know it's what I really want to do. I can do more in Orb than I can in Zaft"

"If that's how you really feel then I'm glad" Athrun smiled "I want you to be happy, Meyrin" he watched her face glow up with delight and felt a little guilty tug on his heart, deep down he knew how she felt about him and it pained him that he couldn't give her anything in return.

"I'm so happy you approve" she was enthusing happily "I know being a part of Orb I'll be doing something important, bringing the world together just like you do"

The Admiral hesitated, wondering if he should bring this topic up, but then decided he didn't have a choice. He'd never led a girl along and he wasn't starting now "um, Meyrin…you realise that, though I'm with Orb, I'm not actually in the country, at least not for now"

She looked at him, eyes slightly widened.

"While the Peace Treaties are continuing I'll be in the Plants representing Orb, it's kinda the main point of my job" Athrun explained "and what with Yuna Roma messing things up, it doesn't look like I'll be returning to Orb for a good while yet"

Meyrin continued to stare at him for a moment and her innocent eyes all at once reminded him of the Kira he'd left when he'd first gone to live in the Plants. That little saddened look still somehow managing to keep that hint of hope. Then her face lowered and she clasped her hands together "yes, I understand"

* * *

><p>Shinn was held up in his quarters; Luna had been by earlier bothering him about target practice and reconfigurations on the Destiny and Impulse that needed to be done. But he hadn't gone with her, preferring instead to stay in his room. He was still mad, mad as hell in fact. If he'd kept a picture of Athrun in his room he would have shot it several times, or at least thrown a knife at it. Part of him was tempted to print a picture for that very purpose.<p>

He hadn't bothered with the light, preferring to sit on his bed in the dull. That way he didn't have to look over at the other side of the room; whenever he looked that way it just reminded him that once there had been someone there, someone who had been his friend.

"Bet Rey would have been grateful" he muttered sulkily to himself.

Swinging his feet up on to the bed he grabbed his sister's phone from the side table and lay back one hand behind his head in the pillow. Lifting the pink object he flipped it open and shut again for something to do.

"Next time I'll just let the bastard get shot, see how he likes that" he snorted "he'd probably haunt my ass and lecture me on saving people from getting shot"

Angrily he rolled over on to his side and flipped his sister's phone open again; her picture gazed up at him from the screen and he looked at it for a minute, remembering her laugh of joy. Then he hit a few buttons and searched through the other pictures, picking one to be the main screen picture and changing the current one. It was a pity he didn't have a picture of Athrun on here, he could have taken great satisfaction in deleting it.

"_Shinn, are you in there?_"

He snapped his phone shut and stayed silent. If he said nothing then he'd be left alone, Athrun would think the room was empty and leave to look for Shinn somewhere else. It wouldn't exactly be a permanent solution, he'd have to face Athrun sometime, but it would give him a little more time to brood. Unfortunately for Shinn, Athrun had already looked everywhere else; there was no other place for Shinn to be.

"_I'm coming in_"

The door slid to the side and the light poured in behind Athrun as he stepped in to the darkened room; the door slid back leaving them in dimness once more. Shinn didn't bother rolling over to look at his old superior; he didn't see why he should invest in the effort of even looking at Athrun right now.

"Were you trying to sleep, why do you have the lights out?" asked Athrun, as he grew accustomed to the lack of bright light.

"All the better not to see you with" replied Shinn haughtily. He hid his phone under the pillow, not wishing Athrun to see it.

There was a pause; clearly Athrun was trying to think of what to say next, Shinn made it perfectly obvious he was pissed by his back, let alone the tone of his voice. The Orb Admiral looked at this pointed pissed back and could only shake his head with a smile; for someone who hated Cagalli Shinn could be very like her. Athrun could still remember spending three hours coaxing her down from a tree because one of her officials had mentioned that he'd like her to meet his son. She had refused to brush her hair and had met the Official's son wearing a dirty t-shirt and filthy trousers. It hadn't been the biggest fiasco Athrun had seen, but it ranked pretty high in his top ten.

Not that he'd really minded. Cagalli had a fire about her that he didn't; it was what he liked about her. It was what he liked about Shinn; the impulsive explosive passion was something he'd never possess. It attracted Athrun, made him curious; maybe that was why he'd responded to Shinn's advances.

"I came to apologise"

"Will wonders never cease"

"I'm serious" Athrun insisted "it wasn't my intention to have a go at you"

"Don't bother apologising," said Shinn to the wall "next time, I'll just let him shoot you. Trust me, it'll make my life ten times easier"

"Don't say that. I'm glad you tried to defend me"

Shinn scoffed "please, Captain Yamato probably made you say that"

"Not at all" Athrun reached a hand as if to touch Shinn's shoulder but caught himself in time, instead he added "thank you"

"Oh, _now_ you're grateful"

"I mean it, Shinn" again Athrun reached out his hand and this time he didn't retreat. He took Shinn's shoulder and gently turned the younger over on to his back. Shinn looked up at him blinking expectantly and Athrun returned his glare with a smile "thank you, for protecting me"

"Thought I made things worse"

"You did, but nevertheless I'm grateful"

"You weren't grateful before"

"Would you just accept the thanks"

Shinn sat up abruptly and Athrun quickly pulled away his hand "sorry, I'm having a hard time believing you" the Destiny fighter grumbled.

"Shinn, if I wasn't be sincere I wouldn't be here" Athrun took a step back from the bed "I'm sorry-"

"I don't want your apology!" Shinn snapped, still pissed.

Athrun looked stunned "then what do you want?" he asked.

"I want to know why the hell you had a go at me in the first place!" Shinn growled, it seemed a reasonable request to him "all I was trying to do was stop him from putting a hole in your chest" he glared at the older Coordinator "anyone else would have been pretty grateful for that, not you!"

"Shinn, the fact that you were trying to protect me isn't my problem" Athrun replied in a harder voice "you sided with me, Shinn, you told Kuzzey that he had another enemy to deal with. Kuzzey was confused and heartbroken, he didn't need to start thinking that you had something to do with his parents' death as well. Throwing a gun around was just playing in to his hands, making him think he was right about the whole thing"

"Like I give a damn what he thinks," Shinn stood from the bed glaring savagely "what's it to me if he thinks I'm a terrorist or not?!"

Athrun pursed his lips and gave a short sigh "you don't seem to realise how badly it could have gone. You put yourself in danger the moment you pointed that gun. You could have got us both shot, it was a stupid thing to do"

"So what should I have done then?!" asked Shinn heatedly "tell me, I really want to know!"

"You should have left and got Kira, you shouldn't even have entered the room"

"And what about if he'd shot you while I was gone?!" the Destiny fighter shot back "you didn't have a gun, what were you going to do if he shot at you?"

"He wasn't going to, all he needed was someone to listen to him"

"I think he was. He came on this ship to kill; you said it yourself. The person he wanted was you, there was no talking to him or listening to what he had to say. He came here to shoot you, end of story"

"If that's the case you really shouldn't have interfered, you put yourself in danger"

"What the hell does that matter?!"

"Believe it or not, Shinn, I don't actually want to see you get shot"

"The only one he was going to shoot was you!"

Athrun opened his mouth to say more, but then realised he'd said it at least three different times; he sighed again, calmer this time and looked back at Shinn "this is going round in circles, we're not achieving anything"

"You're the one trying to make me think stupid things" said Shinn argumentatively "If you want to be mad at me then go ahead" he scowled at the floor between them, the tips of Athrun's boots in his vision "but I'm not sorry I came in when I did, and I'm not sorry I shot the guy"

"Why did you come in?" asked Athrun before he could stop himself. This whole time he'd been trying to convince himself he wasn't curious. That was the same as pretending that at least half of the women he knew didn't have pink hair.

All at once Shinn's anger and frustration died, he stared harder at the floor "like I told Captain Yamato, I was looking for Luna and I heard something"

"That's the story you're sticking with?" Athrun lifted his eyebrows "really?"

"What's wrong with my story?!"

"Shinn, the entire ship is soundproof and Lunamaria was with her sister in target practice"

The younger Zaft soldier faltered.

"Well?"

"It doesn't matter"

"Why not? If it hadn't been important then why did you lie about it?" Shinn said nothing and Athrun finally allowed himself to think that he'd known the real reason for Shinn's return, "you were coming to talk to me, weren't you?"

Shinn refused to speak for a moment, but his temper got the better of him and at last he voiced his other reason for being mad at Athrun "why did you kiss me?"

Athrun looked away under Shinn's unflinching glare "I didn't…not in so many words"

"Now look who's lying!" Shinn snarled, "you tell me I can't run away forever, and that's exactly what you're doing!"

"That's not what I-"

"Yes, it is! It wasn't just me back in that cavern! It was you too!"

Now it was Athrun's turn not to answer.

This only made Shinn madder "you're the one that wanted to talk about this! You're the one that's been pushing me! You are a hypocrite, the biggest one I've ever met! Now it was you who responded to me you don't want to talk!"

"Because it was response," said Athrun "nothing more, I can't give you a reason why, I wasn't thinking clearly"

"So this is all _my_ fault!? I'm the one to blame because I made the first move!"

"I didn't say that"

Shinn glowered "you didn't have to" he snarled through clenched teeth "you think I wanted this?! You think I planned this?!"

"Then why did you do it?" asked Athrun.

All fury in Shinn froze; he glared at Athrun for a little longer, but that feeling of another argument came over him and he turned away. He didn't want to fight, not again. Athrun would win, like he always did, and Shinn would be left feeling stupid. He didn't want to feel any more stupid than he already did.

He felt Athrun take a step behind him and fingers brushed his shoulder as if the Admiral wanted him to turn around; Shinn ignored him. He didn't want to look at Athrun, but he hated to prolong the silence. Then Athrun sighed and the fingers from Shinn's shoulders dropped.

"Maybe we shouldn't talk about this after all," murmured the Justice fighter "this is hardly the time to even be thinking about this, we should be spending all our efforts on finding Lacus"

It wasn't like Shinn didn't know that was true; after all, he'd been the one to let Lacus Clyne walk out from under his very nose. Even now he still cringed over it, and he'd been told that Commander Joule talked of it in his sleep. Rescuing Lacus Clyne was the top most priority on everyone's list. Everything else paled by comparison. Shinn knew that.

"I should go" said Athrun lightly.

"So you're running away again" the words were out of Shinn's mouth before he could stop them. He hadn't meant them to sound so harsh, but it always seemed to him that the wall between them was partly there due to Athrun's complete failure to deal with his own issues. He turned back around again and faced the Admiral.

They stared at each other; despite what Athrun had said he seemed to have no intention of leaving, or even taking a step back. Shinn's gaze was hard, only because he didn't know how else to react. He didn't know how to handle this. All at once Shinn felt desperate, scared even, because underneath all the uniform and warrior was another boy, only two years older than him.

Kissing another man wasn't something Shinn had ever thought about; it hadn't even occurred to him. Sure, he knew it happened; there was that guy in mechanics after all. But that was someone else, not Shinn. And yet, he'd liked it; there had been a reaction there that he'd never felt before. Not even with Luna, or Stellar come to that matter.

Something in his features must have changed, or a thought of curious attraction must have passed across his face because suddenly Athrun was swooping in, pressing a kiss to Shinn's mouth. For a few intense seconds they tussled. Then Athrun pulled away eyes wide with panic "sorry"

He struggled with himself and drew back quickly, but Shinn's hand caught in his uniform "wait…"

They looked at each other, Athrun tried to tug free "Shinn, this isn't a good idea. There are several hundredreasons why we shouldn't"

Shinn tilted his head, his hand still keep Athrun where he was "what exactly are you accusing me of thinking about?"

Alarm spread across Athrun's face; for a moment, Shinn was puzzled, trying to think what Athrun was talking about. Then it hit him. His face went red, and his head span. The very thought was… he swallowed. And he looked back at Athrun. In truth, the idea didn't fill him with horror, instead it made his heart pound. But it would have never occurred to him that Athrun would be the one to think of it.

"Shinn…" Athrun murmured. The fist on his uniform tightened even harder. Without warning it was like their minds were one, following each other's train of thought without even the need to speak.

Shinn moved backwards; when his legs hit the bed he sat down heavily and laid back, Athrun followed him down. The younger submitting to him was a surprise; he didn't think Shinn would ever submit to him over anything. But he decided he liked it as he leant over the Destiny fighter, bracing himself with a hand at Shinn's head. He looked down at him for a moment, admitting to himself at last that he was scared. His heart was beating so hard it almost hurt.

Shinn stared back up at him, his eyes widened with disbelief. They stayed frozen like that, the Admiral leaning over Shinn his mouth dry. Then Shinn blinked; he looked at the uniform Athrun was wearing and said, "you looked better in red"

Athrun leant down, half dragged by Shinn's hand. At last their lips met, and opened again, mashing their mouths together eagerly. It was almost a relief to sink his hand in to Athrun's hair and take a fistful of it; Shinn tried to hide it, but the gasp escaped when Athrun bit the underside of his jaw.

Then Athrun pulled back, slipping down a hand to his uniform to pull apart the buttons; it was like a growing fever, Shinn's eyes were dark as he yanked Athrun back down. Hands were everywhere, pulling apart clothes; his sister's phone was still lodged under the cold pillow, forgotten. Athrun's mouth pressed to a lower part of Shinn's uncovered stomach, making Shinn hotter.

It was dull in the room, but they didn't need light, only their hands and impulses to guide them. The air around them was soon filled with half muffled cries and the regular creak of the bed. Clothes lay on the floor and sheets were pushed aside. But this was all unimportant as they ignored everything, even the blankness in their minds.

* * *

><p>Ahhh-haa. So the deed is done as they say.<p>

Now that their relationship has taken on the phyiscal form I'm gonna play hell with their emotions. Love is a rocky road and I won't let anyone tell me otherwise.

Added to the fact that at this point in time Athrun and Shinn aren't 'in love' - yet.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Please leave a review.

Next Time: We return to the case of Lacus again, a new foe turns up - don't laugh at me when you find out who it is. And Athrun and Shinn deal with the aftermath - another fight blossoms.

Thanks for reading!

Kiki

Kizzes!


	14. Overcome With Blunders

**Review Replies  
><strong>LL: Thanks so much for your review! I agree, some of the stories in this fandom are too gushy and soppy, one actually made me cringe. I'm so happy you reviewed my story when you normally don't! I'm thrilled you enjoy the story and hope you continue to like it...even if it gets...a little stretched. You'll have to bare with me with the other person Yuna has working with him. It was the only person I could think of.

* * *

><p>HEY! I'm here! It took longer than expected to update but better late than never, right?<p>

**Additional Note**: A couple of weeks ago I did try to update but it screwed it up for some reason. So for those of you that got an email update but no new chapter I can only apologise and hope it works this time.

Anyway, a lot of you have been wondering about this new foe...Don't judge me, ok.

Last Time: Athrun and Shinn had done the deed.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED Destiny nor any of its characters.

WARNINGS:...Can't think of any.

So, no further ado, I give you the next chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Silver And Gold<strong>

**Chapter Fourteen: Overcome With Blunders **

"You know, I always wondered what it would be like" Lunamaria pondered looking up at the Impulse with wonder.

"What?" asked Shinn paying very little attention as he perused his update notes on the Destiny.

"To have sex in a mobile suit"

"To have-" Shinn's head shot up "LUNA!"

"It's a little cramped" Dearka replied also studying his notes "there isn't much arm room and of course the number of positions you can do is limited" he downloaded his own updates from the main system on to his personal updater "or so I've heard" he added when he caught Yzak and Kira staring at him "I wouldn't know…"

"I'll bet your reporting ex-girlfriend wouldn't know either" said Yzak dryly.

Dearka paled and muttered something along the lines of unfair comments stabbed below the belt; Yzak ignored him and cast the offending pilot a reproachful look.

"Mind what you say, these machines aren't toys"

"No, Commander, sorry" Lunamaria murmured "it won't happen again"

Shinn shook his head and returned back to his notes, passing them over to Kira when his Captain beckoned for them; Kira perused them briefly, noting that Shinn had only just reconfigured the last of the updates that morning. This surprised him because he knew Shinn had been given no orders save to reconfigure the Destiny; usually he was attending to these duties before Kira had even got the order out of his mouth. He gave no comment, however, and only returned the record with a smile of thanks, allowing Shinn to make his way to the giant machine to give it a final run through.

As he left Dearka gave him a funny look of puzzlement before returning his attention back to his superior who was checking his record and handing out a lecture on his time keeping. Commander Joule was just outlining the finer details of keeping a Gundam when Athrun arrived to carry out his own configurations; Dearka scowled ruefully at him "you're lucky, you know"

"Hmm?" asked the Admiral looking up from his notes "why?"

"You can do your configurations whenever you want, and you don't have a Commander nagging at you every single time"

"Maybe if your time keeping was improved I wouldn't _nag_ so much!" Yzak snapped, shoving the updates back at him.

"Yeah-yeah, you made your point" Dearka replied with a sigh "quit making my ear bleed"

Kira meanwhile went to Athrun's side as the Orb Admiral moved to the Justice to take a visual examination of the mobile suit "are you alright?"

Athrun started "of course, is there a reason why I shouldn't be?"

"I haven't seen you since last night, you haven't even had breakfast"

"Oh…I was…um, target practice" Athrun explained slowly focussing on the results of the configurations that had been handed to him.

"All night?"

"For most of it"

"Why?"

"I don't want to get sloppy"

"Sloppy?" Kira repeated confused "what do you mean sloppy?"

"…What's so surprising? You practice too"

"Yeah…for a couple of hours in the morning" the Captain pointed out "not all night, you need sleep too"

"I wasn't tired"

"I want a word with you!" Yzak stormed over to him having finished his lecture to Dearka "where the hell were you?!"

Athrun was surprised "I wasn't aware we had a meeting"

"Of course we had a meeting! An Orb official comes on to a Zaft ship with faked evidence so he can kill his superior, you don't think that's something we should talk about?!"

"I don't understand what that has to do with Zaft, Kuzzey was coming after me"

"On a Zaft SHIP! Do you know the danger you put the Zaft soldiers in?! Or yourself?! Has Orb never heard of _vetting_ its employees!?"

"Yzak, you're not being fair" Dearka stepped in "it's not Athrun's fault"

"No, he's right" Athrun looked away from his friends though he knew his agreement surprised them "I should have been more careful, it's a mistake I won't make again"

"Damn right it was!" Yzak growled oblivious of the few curious glances his raised voice was attracting "you realise your error could have cost the trust the Zaft and Orb have?! How it could have ruined everything?! You're lucky Kuzzey didn't find anything drastically important, otherwise Miss Clyne's kidnapper could have walked away without punishment!"

"I'm aware of that"

"Are you sure? Because right now you seem to be in some sort of daze! You look like you're half asleep!"

Yzak had a point; Athrun was looking tired and drained, but then a night in the shooting range probably wasn't the best of ideas. He should have really got some sleep. Not that he would have done. Whether he'd gone to the shooting range or to bed, he wouldn't have been able to sleep, not after…

He stopped what he was doing and numbly gazed in to space. He tried to make himself feel like he wasn't lying to everyone around him; he _had_ gone to the shooting range. But before that he'd been in Shinn's quarters, in Shinn's bed. Even now he could barely believe what they'd done. After they were finished all he'd done was pulled his uniform to him and left. He hadn't said anything, but then again neither had Shinn. He'd simply stayed there on the bed without bothering to reach for his clothes. When Athrun had left he hadn't said a word.

But what was there to say?

"Are you _LISTENING_ to me!"

"Of course" replied Athrun noting the last of his configurations; he sighed and gave his former comrade a shadowed look that took Yzak by surprise. He was even more surprised when Athrun said testily "I'm perfectly aware of what happened and what could have happened. The consequences of Kuzzey's actions are not news to me, there's no need for you to spell it out"

Yzak stared at him, so did Dearka. Feeling restless and a little out of place the Orb Admiral returned to his task without another word. He could feel Yzak still watching him, or rather studying him intently; the rise of uncertainty came over him. Yzak was good at reading people even if he rarely tried to. What if he realised the truth? Then he thought how silly that idea was; no one would figure the truth. It wouldn't even occur to them and there was no reason why it should. Who would even consider the possibility? No one.

"Captain"

Kira turned from his friend to his subordinate "yes?"

"I've completed the configurations for the Destiny" said Shinn emotionlessly "I was wondering if I could take some time for target practice"

"Of course" Kira agreed, "take as long as you want"

"Yes, Captain" Shinn turned and walked away.

Yzak scowled "I still question your reasoning for allowing him to be free" he grumbled.

"Whatever Shinn's actions have been we need him" Kira replied, "he's a good pilot, and we need people like him to fight against Yuna Roma"

Yzak's look darkened but he said nothing in reply; instead he turned to glare at Dearka who was watching Shinn leave the hold "why do you keep looking at him like that?!"

"There's something different about him," Dearka answered giving Shinn a shrewd look as the pilot disappeared in to the lift "I just can't put my finger on it"

"Maybe he's finally realised whose boss around here" Yzak snorted "that'd be a nice change"

"No, it's nothing like that- oh, I got it" Dearka grinned, "he's buttoned up his collar" he chortled as Athrun went white and then hot "guess you got through to him, Yzak"

"About _time_"

"I was thinking you and I could go see Cagalli" Kira said to Athrun "she wanted to see you last time I- Athrun?"

Athrun turned away so Kira couldn't see his flushing face "it's nothing" he answered quickly "we should go and see Cagalli, it's a good idea" he pushed his configurations at a passing mechanic "I'll go and arrange it…"

"I didn't mean right now" Kira protested "finish your inspection first"

"No" the Orb Admiral was already walking away quickly, unable to stay any longer "I'll finish them later. I'll be in the Captain's quarters if you need me"

"Athrun" Kira took a step after him looking concerned.

"Let him go" Yzak stopped him "he's probably just rattled, one of his own did just try to shoot him after all. Give him time to get over it"

"But…" Kira trailed off; he wasn't sure Kuzzey was the problem. He and Athrun had talked about that after all. Still, he followed Yzak's advice and watched his friend take the lift.

"Don't worry about it" Dearka reassured him "Athrun's just too sensitive, we all know that. He needs his time to stew, that's all"

* * *

><p>The target jumped up and Shinn shot it. Another appeared and he shot that too. He was getting pretty good at it. Ever since he'd seen Athrun shoot down an entire row of them Shinn had used nothing but the moving targets for practice. He saw another one and fired off five shots one after another; it was overkill, but damn it made him feel better. Then he turned up the speed; the targets flashed up one after the other, he shot them all down hands gripping the gun so tightly his knuckles went white.<p>

He'd finished every one off and looked at his score; it still wasn't as good as Athrun's. He'd been staring at the numbers for a full ten seconds before he realised someone was with him; half expecting Luna he turned round to mouth off and froze on the spot when he saw it definitely wasn't Luna. His jaw tensed; his first reaction was surprise, he hadn't thought they'd come face to face at all. Not after what they'd done.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, he tried to pretend the answer meant nothing to him, but the defensiveness in his voice gave him away "haven't you _practiced_ enough?"

Athrun was silent; slowly he walked over and took the score sheet from Shinn's hands, careful to make sure there was no contact between them. Shinn let him take the sheet without complaint; casually Athrun looked down at the score and eyed the various levels "you've improved a lot" he commented.

Shinn said nothing.

"Your speed's improved beyond recognition" the Admiral continued "and your aim is better than it was, I'm glad you've stopped leaning slightly to the left. It's made all the difference"

If this had been anyone else at all Shinn would have bragged; now he simply glared at the Coordinator. After all that had happened and Athrun was giving him a _review_; if he'd wanted to that then he should have done more it when he'd been Shinn's actual superior. The younger snatched back the score "if I want an opinion I'll go ask my Captain," he replied coldly "I don't need your judgment"

Athrun said nothing to this and instead looked over at the target Shinn had shot last; it took him back to the time when he'd first met Shinn, when Luna had asked him to show her a few tips. He remembered shooting the hell out of the targets, hitting each one dead on and feeling that need to ease the knot inside his head. He remembered looking up to find Cagalli watching him. He remembered the questions his brain had plagued him with. He remembered his lack of purpose.

He had that purpose now. He knew what he was doing and who he was. An Admiral of Orb, sworn to protect the princess and build a world of peace. All of that made sense; his life made sense. Except for one thing.

Shinn.

How the hell did Shinn fit in to his life? The answer was a simple one. He didn't. Not in any sense. He was the one blot in Athrun's life that ruined it all. He sighed; he felt empty of energy and wondered for a moment if a Natural ever felt like he did now. It was strange; he'd never really thought about the differences between a Natural and a Coordinator before, as far he was concerned they were all human. But now, when he was feeling so lifeless, he wondered if a Natural ever felt the same.

"If you're so tired then you shouldn't have stayed up all night" said Shinn obnoxiously. He didn't bother mentioning that he'd spent the night lying naked on his bed wide awake until the early hours of the morning. He also didn't mention the very large black coffee he'd downed the moment he'd sat up vertically.

"You have a point" replied the Admiral.

They were silent as Shinn lifted the gun again, preparing for another round. As Athrun watched the younger hit his targets his mind was split. One side was aware that Shinn still maintained that little flick he did when he used a gun, while the other side was thinking about what the pilot had said. It wasn't just the lack of sleep that had Athrun drained; the sheer shock of what he'd done left him feeling numb. Even now, as he looked at Shinn's tightly buttoned collar, part of his mind couldn't process that it was his fault Shinn had buttoned his collar at all.

"Shinn…" he murmured in a soft voice "…you realise we can't repeat what we've done"

Shinn was silent for a moment; he didn't look at Athrun, or reply, but he lowered his gun when the Admiral spoke and flicked the safety catch on and off. The silence that followed was nothing new to them; both stood there not wishing to be the first to speak again.

Then Shinn said, "I don't want to talk about it"

A small humourless smile appeared on Athrun's face "why doesn't that surprise me I wonder?"

Shinn's eyes narrowed and he snapped, "what happened last night _happened_, nothing we can do will change that. I don't see why we have to talk about it!"

"_Because_ it happened at all," Athrun replied, "this isn't something we can sweep under the carpet and forget about"

"I don't see why not" Shinn argued back stubbornly "I've forgotten about it already"

For the first time Athrun lost his patience "actions have consequences" he answered sharply "if you really think you can just forget it ever happened then you're wrong"

"Why?!" demanded the pilot turning round on him "just because you have to question everything and demand a reason for every little thing you do doesn't mean I have to! I'm just fine with going along like it never happened!"

"And how long can you play that little charade?" asked Athrun glaring "what are you going to tell Lunamaria when she asks you where you were last night?"

"Luna didn't even notice I was anywhere" Shinn growled archly. He didn't appreciate Athrun bringing her up in the conversation.

"Alright, what are you going to say when she realises we're fighting again?" Athrun took a step forward his eyes narrowed "what are you going to do when she realises something is wrong and _asks_ you about it?!"

"Lie of course!" Shinn snarled, "Luna has no idea what happened! The thought won't even cross her mind!"

"So that's it? You'll simply just tell her a lie?"

"Sure, I'll say anything! She's more likely to believe a lie than the truth!"

Athrun gave him a scowling look "I didn't peg you as the type" he said coolly "I would have thought you were too kind hearted to stare in to someone's face and tell an outright lie"

"Oh, you'd rather I told the truth?!" Shinn challenged angrily "you're right, I don't like lying to Luna. But lying is a damn sight better than telling the truth! Can you imagine what everyone would do if they found out!"

"No" Athrun agreed "but telling someone and letting them find out on their own are two completely different things!"

Suddenly a suspicion rose up in Shinn and he clenched his fist "just what exactly do you mean by that!"

"I'm saying that what happened couldn't have happened at a _worse_ time" Athrun answered in a hard voice "Lacus has been kidnapped and the last thing anyone needs is distraction. But that's exactly what's been happening, surely you can see it"

For some reason this only made Shinn angrier and he felt like lashing out; instead he said in a cold voice "well if I'm such a damn distraction then you don't have to worry anymore, I won't even talk to you"

Seemingly this only pissed Athrun off more. Because he was reaching out and grabbing Shinn by the wrist, dragging the pilot closer to him "if you really think this is the end of it then you're more naïve than I've given you credit for!" he glared at Shinn "you think the others haven't noticed!? You think they don't know there's something strange going on?! Why do you think Lunamaria keeps asking you to make friends? Why do you think Kira is worried about me? Because they've noticed something is going on!"

"It's not like they're going to figure out what!" Shinn pulled at his wrist but Athrun's grip remained fast.

"That doesn't matter! You're right, they'll probably never realise what's really happened! But that's not the point! By distracting each other we're disrupting everything! Lacus has been kidnapped and everyone needs to focus on that, instead Kira is spending his time worrying about me! It's not fair on him! He has enough to worry about without concerning himself with me!"

"How about concealing your emotions a little more!" Shinn shot back.

Athrun's hand tightened around his wrist so much it actually hurt; he bared his teeth in a snarl "I don't _lie to Kira_!"

"Maybe it's about time you started" Shinn tore his wrist away and took a step back; he looked back at his former superior haughtily "stop taking your mental torment out on me. You're lying to your precious best friend, so what? I don't give a damn"

Athrun pursed his lips "I understand that you don't care what Kira thinks, but I do. He might not be your friend but Kira and I have been close for most of our lives" his voice was terse "and I don't intend to lie to my best friend"

The colour drained from Shinn's face as he realised the consequences of what Athrun had just told him; his eyes widened in shock "w-what! What are you saying!"

"I'm going to tell Kira the truth" Athrun replied in a calmer voice "I'm going to tell him everything so he can stop thinking about me and focus completely on Lacus. That's what I came in here to tell you"

The Admiral turned away then and walked towards the door; before he really registered what he was doing Shinn was rushing forwards and grabbing Athrun by the shoulder, pulling the Coordinator to a halt "NO! Why would you do something like that!"

"Because the time Kira spends thinking about me should be spent on finding Lacus and arresting Yuna Roma" Athrun looked back over his shoulder looking straight in to Shinn's horrified eyes "the last few times Kira and I have talked the topic of conversation has been me. That shouldn't be happening, he has enough to worry himself with"

"Is that all you care about?! Your freaking _friend_!" Shinn shouted furiously "what about me?! I don't want Captain Yamato to know! I don't want anyone to know!"

"I can't help with that" Athrun turned back and removed Shinn's hand from his shoulder "I'm sorry. But this is about Lacus. When I tell Kira everything we can put it behind us and concentrate on Lacus. The more time we waste over this the longer Lacus is in danger, I can't live with that"

Shinn took a step back as if he'd been stung "waste?" he repeated flabbergasted "is that what you think was? You think I just got bored and decided to mess about!" he growled "you _BASTARD_!"

"It wasn't just you, it was me too" the Admiral said with very little emotion compared to his anger before "it shouldn't have gone this far, and our biggest mistake is even starting this mess. I have a chance to fix it and I'm going to do just that, whether you like it or not"

Waste. Mistake. The words rang in Shinn's head and he wasn't even sure why. Maybe because he'd thought that, even though he'd been scared and screwed up, at least he hadn't been alone. But all of a sudden he'd never felt so abandoned in his life. He didn't want to believe it; this wasn't Athrun. So the guy had betrayed Zaft but even after that he'd always tried to be there for Shinn. But now…

Shinn swallowed back the urge to reason with the Admiral. He went quiet and pulled away "fine" his voice felt far away, but he kept talking "go and tell Captain Yamato everything. I don't care. I doubt he'll even believe you anyway"

He pushed passed Athrun then and walked from the shooting range without looking back. Athrun watched him go feeling worse than he'd expected. He knew exactly what he'd done. But he'd had to it. Shinn had to hate him; it was the only quick way to break the connection between them. Now Shinn could concentrate on Lacus too. It had been simpler than he'd planned too. Shinn's desperate hatred of loss and abandonment had been too easy to prey on. Even so, after telling himself he could never do that to Shinn, the swell of guilt pushed in Athrun's chest.

* * *

><p>It was raining; the rain ran down the sides of the <em>Eternal<em> but Athrun leant against the rail and looked out at the sea. Even though he was in an Orb dock Athrun had never felt so far from the country in his life; he was soaked to the skin, but even the rain falling down his face wasn't enough to persuade him back in to the ship. He knew he was doing the right thing. Lacus had to be at the forefront of everyone's mind and recently she hadn't been. Until they'd retrieved Lacus she had to be the only thing they thought about.

And soon that would be the case. There was just one more thing to put right and it would be over. Of course it would be a shock for Kira; Shinn hadn't been far off the mark when he'd said Kira would have difficulty believing it. Once Athrun had explained everything, however, it would be done with and they would work together again. Kira wouldn't have to worry himself anymore. It was the right thing to do, for everyone. Even Shinn.

So Athrun didn't understand why he felt like he was reassuring himself. If this was the right thing to do then why did he feel as if he was losing something? His plan was working out perfectly and yet Athrun felt like he was forgetting an important part. And then there was the passion. He couldn't forget that. That whirl ride sense of want and impulse made his head spin even now.

Because it was at the back of his brain all the time, like the lyrics to a song he couldn't get rid of. And it wasn't just the intense pleasure he'd felt that made him light-headed; it was the drive to take it, which now gave him a feeling far more powerful than he'd felt. Ever. In fact he was staring at Torii for a good few seconds before he realised the bird had landed on the railing in front of him.

Looking up he found Kira standing behind him disregarding the rain all together "Kira?"

Kira gazed at him as the rain began to drench his hair "what's going on, Athrun?"

Athrun faltered and for a second felt like backing out. But remembered his plan and replied, "I've got something to tell you"

The Captain came over to his side quietly and looked out over the sea that was fairly choppy in the wet weather. But despite this there was no wind to drown out their voices, even the spattering of raindrops was quiet. Kira glanced sideways "is this to do with Shinn?" he asked.

A reserved smile touched Athrun's lips as he turned to lean backward against the rail; behind him Torii took flight again seemingly unaffected by rain and took his place on Athrun's shoulder "figured that much out I see"

"It wasn't difficult" Kira answered briefly "you and Shinn seem to go through stages of fire and ice. One minute you're at each other's throats and the next blocking each other out like you don't exist"

"Hmmm" the Admiral agreed and sighed "you once said that Shinn responded better to me than you, do you still think that's true?"

"Yes" replied the Freedom fighter without hesitation.

"Really? I find that a surprise. Why so sure?"

"Because you bring out a passion in Shinn that no one else is able to. Not Luna. Not Commander Joule, and certainly not me" Kira answered "even now I still think Shinn would rather have you as a superior than me. I'll admit you don't always bring out Shinn's best sides, but when he's with you there's a connection there that's easy to see"

He gave Athrun an insightful look.

"I also think you feel that connection too" he continued shrewdly "you probably don't realise it but you try hard to keep that connection alive"

Athrun cleared his throat feeling a little exposed "we haven't spent enough time together" he said numbly "I'd forgotten how astute you could be"

"It's merely a few observations I've made recently" was the reply.

"Yes, you've been thinking about this a lot, haven't you" the Admiral noted.

"It seems I'm not the only one who's perceptive"

"I've been concerning you, I know that" Athrun watched the rain trail its way down the ship "that's why I'm going to tell you everything. So you can stop distracting yourself with me"

"But, Athrun, the only reason I'm distracted is because you're distracted" Kira told him "whatever it is you're keeping from me has got you so twisted up inside it's almost taking over your brain"

Athrun watched Kira's face as he said this and for the first time realised how worried Kira had become. The guilt welled up in him again; he shouldn't be doing this to Kira, not now. He should be at Kira's side fighting to save Lacus; instead he was taking away the importance of her safety and if there was a worse thing he could have done he couldn't think of it.

"…Kira, I…I'm sorry…"

"I don't want your apology, Athrun" the Captain replied waving it away "I want to know what's happened between you and Shinn that could make you forget about Lacus"

On his shoulder Torii tilted his head suddenly and twittered.

Kira looked from the sea to Athrun "I know you care about Lacus, almost as much as you care about Cagalli. You'd tear up an entire civilisation just to save her"

"Yes" said Athrun "that's as true today as it was when we were engaged"

"I'm not saying it's not. But while you're trying to save Lacus you're thinking about something else…and you're scaring me" the Captain admitted quietly.

"_Kira_"

"I'm serious. This distraction in you, it's not like you and no matter how much I think about it I can't imagine what could be so terrible that this would happen to you" then Kira took Athrun's arm, holding on it tightly "please, Athrun, what could be so awful that you'd put it before saving Lacus? I want you to tell me"

Athrun couldn't speak. The look on Kira's face was almost desperate. That anguish was because of him; he'd done this to Kira. He should have told Kira everything from the beginning. Better still, he shouldn't have let it happen in the first place. It was doing no one any good. But then why had he done it? Because it felt good? He wasn't like that; he didn't do things like this just for kicks. He had to think about it, question it, worry about it; that was how he worked. But sleeping with Shinn hadn't been something he'd questioned enough; he'd gone on impulse and ignored the consequences, something that went against his entire character. And worst of all it had hurt Kira.

"Forgive me…" was all he whispered "it was never my intention to let this happen"

"Let _what _happen?"

The rain was pouring down and Torii was chirruping, hopping along Kira's shoulder; this was all ignored as Kira stared in Athrun's face and watched the emotions all shroud together. He could see the guilt, stronger than the rest. But there were other feelings in there; fear, uncertainty and something else that only made Kira's questions gather again: mortification.

"It's over" Athrun managed through the tirade of emotions "it won't happen again, ever. From now until we find Lacus I will only think about her safety"

Even as he said the words Shinn's face came in to his head. When they'd been in Shinn's quarters, on Shinn's bed; Athrun had stopped what he'd been doing because he'd thought Shinn was in pain. But when he'd looked he'd realised Shinn wasn't in pain like he'd thought. The look on Shinn's face had been agony – a pleasure so intense it nearly burnt his brain out. It had been too much for Athrun, too intense a look to resist.

But why…

Why did that have to come back to him now? When he was making a promise to Kira he never wanted to break. He'd never broken his word, not once; but the words that came out of his mouth tasted foul. They felt like lies.

"Athrun" said Kira softly the rain pouring down his face like tears "I will never doubt you, nothing you could say will ever change that. I want you to tell me so I can help you, whatever it is I'll what I have to help you. I promise you"

Help? What could Kira do to help? Nothing. This was Athrun's problem and his crime. But he'd told himself he would come clean to Kira and he refused to go back on that.

"What's happened is nothing terrible" he began quietly "at least, not in the way you think…" he turned to look out at the sea; above there was a break in the cloud coverage and the rain began to ease.

A shadow passed over them.

"Kira, I…" the shadow crossed back over them. Athrun's eyes narrowed and he looked up "KIRA!"

He leapt on his friend, knocking them to the ground just as the mobile suit above fired. The impact of the weapon hit the deck seconds later and Torii flew up in a wide arch. Kira's eyes widened more with surprise than fear and he dragged Athrun further away; they scrambled to their feet and whirled round. But the mobile suit was gone.

"Where is it?" asked Athrun with a gasp. He turned round again.

"I don't know" Kira replied, his gaze snapping from cloud to cloud "I didn't even know it was there. Why didn't the ship pick it up?"

The buckled metal was hot to the touch and just seconds before they'd been standing there. The mobile suit was powerful and fast. The ship had taken a direct hit and the burn marks were the only sign there had been any attack. The skies were empty save for Torii flying above them in circles.

"We should get to the bridge" Athrun suggested, "I don't think we've seen the last of it"

"Right" Kira agreed.

They turned to the door.

The beam blazed out from behind them. It shot passed their shoulders and struck the door, melting the metal as if it were butter. Before their very eyes the handle of the door, the framework of the entrance liquefied down sealing their escape. They couldn't escape in to the ship if there was no door. They were trapped. There was no other way in to the ship from this side. As one they turned back to face the mobile suit.

There was nothing there.

Kira gasped aloud "what's happening? Why can't we-"

The mobile suit appeared in front of them from thin air; it shimmered in to existence and flew towards them weapon raised. It was seconds away and the force of the beam would hit them long before that. There was no way back in to the ship and the mobile suit had fired. For a second Kira realised what Mu must have seen when he'd been the only shield standing in between the _Archangel_ and-

Athrun was dragging him forwards, towards the beam. Kira didn't understand until his friend was pulling him over the rail. Together they leapt over the rail and dropped to the sea just as the weapon smacked in to the ship hard. They plummeted, gravity for once being their friend. The mobile suit tried to catch them with another shot but they fell faster and plunged straight in to the sea.

The majority of the Orb harbour was under shelter, but the _Eternal_ had been requested to remain on the outer regions until their clearance had been passed. However their authorization had been waylaid by the threat on Cagalli's life and maybe this was a fortunate thing as the mobile suit flew across the surface unable to find its targets. The sea was choppy making visuals in to the water difficult. It fired in to the sea but there was no way of knowing if the target was found. The attacker had no choice but to disappear until his victims thought it was safe. The mobile suit vanished from sight and all was still.

The only movement was the flight of Torii as he skimmed over the sharp waves.

* * *

><p>"What was that?!" demanded Yzak as he marched in to the bridge with Dearka on his heels "why did no one see that mobile suit coming! And where is Captain Yamato!"<p>

"We don't know, sir," said Trine rather anxiously "Admiral Zala has disappeared too. They were up on the-"

"I don't care where they were!" snapped the Commander "I want to know where they are now!" he glowered over to Meyrin "well!"

"I- I'm unable to locate them, sir" she replied in a rushed voice "they jumped off the _Eternal_ to escape the blast of the unidentified mobile suit"

"Then find them! NOW!" Yzak whirled on Trine "why didn't you know that mobile suit was coming?!"

"It just appeared out of nowhere!" Trine sputtered helplessly "we had no warning of any approaching machine. The first we knew of its presence was when it fired its first shot. Then it just vanished!"

"Don't be stupid!" snarled Yzak "what do you think this _is_? A ghost story! Mobile suits do not just vanish in to thin air-" he stopped abruptly as he heard his own words.

Then he looked at Dearka who blinked once and realised the same as his friend "you really think so?" he asked, "it's been a while since we've seen one"

"The length of time since we last saw one is completely irrelevant" Yzak replied testily. He turned back to the Deputy "show me the footage we have"

There was the tapping of keys and the screen in front flickered in to life; the mobile suit was soaring through the air. Then it veered sharply, obliviously dive-bombing something below. It fired and twisted in the air. Then it fired again and dropped down to the sea. Flying along the touch of the sea it searched for a moment longer and vanished in mid-flight.

That was all Yzak needed to see "send out Shinn Asuka" he ordered "this isn't over" he turned back to Dearka "you go with Lunamaria Hawke. Find the Captain and Athrun"

"Yes" Dearka turned and walked out quickly.

"When Shinn Asuka has launched tell him to report directly to me. Also inform him that machine cannot be detected in any way unless it is visible"

"Yes, sir"

"And when the Captain has been found tell me immediately" Yzak continued, "I also want to get in touch with the Officials of Orb. Surely they haven't failed to notice that a battle is on their very doorstep. I want to know what they plan to do about it"

"Yes, sir"

"Put the _Eternal_ on alert. At the moment this ship has sustained very little damage. That might change in a flash. We need to know who this attacker is and what motive they have for attacking. Inform Asuka to bring the pilot back alive"

"Yes, sir"

"We also need to know if there is more than one. If they're invisible like this one then there's no way to tell, but if there's a ship out there then we need to find it as quickly as possible"

"Yes, Commander" Trine saluted and turned back to the bridge to relay the orders given to him; as if working like a well oiled machine his subordinates answered immediately to his requests and set to work.

Meyrin spoke in to the intercom rapidly, alerting the ship to the situation and requesting all soldiers to be on standby. Yzak meanwhile watched the footage of the attacker once more with narrowed eyes. Questions flittered through his brain one after the other. And the more questions he asked the less answers he had. But behind all that, deep in the back corner of his head, there was the memory of another pilot who had owned a vanishing mobile suit.

"A weapon for cowards…" murmured Yzak to himself, then dismissed all thoughts of Nicol from his mind. A dead comrade served no purpose to him. Finding Kira and Athrun was more important now.

* * *

><p>Shinn landed the Destiny on the ship and scanned the area in front of him; there was nothing. There wasn't even any movement in the base of Orb. This surprised Shinn greatly; the last time they'd been a battle on the shores of this nation it had joined in and forced the participating members out of its country. Now, a battle was practically on top of them, and there was no sign of help or hindrance.<p>

From the corner of one screen he caught sight of the Impulse bursting up from the water as Lunamaria came back in to the fresh air. He watched her as she flew further in to the air and came closer to the ship.

Then he hit the speaker button "Luna, have you found them?"

"_There's nothing_" Luna replied "_no sign of either of them_"

"What about Elsman?"

"_He's gone further down the shore, just in case the current carried them_"

"Could it have done?"

"_I don't know. Shinn…_" she trailed off worriedly "_…what if they were hit? What if the attacker killed them in the water?_"

Shinn hesitated. He had tried not to think about that possibility. And somewhere in the back of his head he wondered if Athrun had told Kira about what had happened between them. What if only one of them was hurt? Which one? Could they have lost one or both? What would it mean if Athrun had been killed and Captain Yamato had survived? What would he think of Shinn if he knew the truth? And what if Athrun really was hurt, or dead?

Shinn shook his head stubbornly "come on" he said fiercely "you really think Captain Yamato and Athrun are going to be defeated by one cowardly mobile suit? No way. They've been through much worse. I blew Athrun up, remember, he was fine"

"_I wouldn't have called him fine, Shinn. If Commander Joule hadn't found him he would have probably died_"

"Well stop talking to me then. Go and find them"

"_Where? They weren't in mobile suits so they couldn't have gone far. I've searched the shore and they're not there, the only answer is that they're in the sea but that means-_"

"So search the sea" said Shinn shortly "find them, Luna, he has to be alive"

"_He?_"

"_Uh_ …I mean Captain Yamato of course!" the Destiny pilot spluttered quickly "the _Eternal_ needs him to find Miss Lacus so we can't let him drown. You need to-"

The mobile struck from behind, propelling Shinn forwards through the air as it slammed the weapon against his back. Shinn leapt forwards and twisted the Destiny round just in time to catch the second attack.

"_Shinn!_"

"Forget about me!" he shouted at her "find Athrun! Let me deal with this guy!"

He attacked, launching forwards to take a swipe at the stranger. Without bothering to wait he rammed his sword in to the attacker, catching the mobile suit in the left side as it tried to jump away.

Grinning Shinn attacked again. He struck from the right and then the left; the first strike hit its mark but the second was blocked. They rammed in to each other, and then darted back to charge again. His opponent was good, skilled at fighting in any rate. He managed to block several of Shinn's attacks and succeeded in striking a blow at Shinn's cockpit.

Then he vanished.

Shinn growled, "come out, you bastard! Stop hiding like a coward!"

He whirled round but there was nothing; Deputy Trine attempted to make contact with him but Shinn ignored him. The invisible mobile suit had snuck up on him once when he'd been distracted – that wasn't going to happen a second time. Shinn readied himself; he didn't have complete respect for Commander Joule, but on this occasion he agreed with his superior completely.

This wasn't over.

The alarm began to bleep at his ear and he whipped round to catch the blow his attacker had made from behind. They crashed again and Shinn darted back to take a long-range shot. He had to be careful of the ship and his best option was to draw the opponent out of the shadow of the _Eternal_.

"Come on" he muttered "take the bait, I'm right out here in the open"

He hovered teasingly his sword at the ready. The attacker stayed still but remained visible; from what he'd learned Shinn knew the mobile suit was unable to attack when invisible. Common logic told him that the stranger was staying visible because he was planning to fight. Of course that didn't explain anything else.

It didn't explain why this guy was here at all. It didn't explain why'd he'd attacked the ship. It didn't explain his reason for fighting. If this guy wanted to slip away all he'd have to do was turn invisible and Shinn would never be any the wiser.

"_You're in the way_"

Shinn's eyes widened in surprise; he hadn't expected to make contact with the opponent at all. He was also taken aback by the voice; it was calm and emotionless. It was also male. Young. And not Yuna Roma.

Shinn pressed his speaker button "who are you?"

"_Return to your ship and you won't be hurt. I only wish to locate Captain Yamato and Admiral Dino_"

"Like hell I'm doing that!" Shin bristled "you want to find Athrun and the Captain you'll have to go through me!"

"_Return to your ship, have your companions stop their search and the ship will not be attacked_"

"Didn't you just hear what I said! I'm not going to let you!" Shinn bared his teeth in a snarl and clenched the controls until his knuckles were bony white "and I swear _if you've hurt Athrun_ I'll make you PAY!"

He attacked; everything in the world was sharper than it had ever been. He swung right and then fired straight at the cockpit; the other seemed taken by surprise for he didn't hit back. Instead he flew away to dodge Shinn's new attack. But he'd underestimated his adversary because Shinn was there in a flash ramming straight in to him as if he were a bowling pin.

Like a pair of dominos they fell; for a moment the attacker was stuck under the weight of the Destiny. Then he regained control and flew upwards only to have Shinn drag him down again. The Destiny spun the mobile suit around and sent him flying through the air like it was nothing but a toy. Running high on adrenaline Shinn fired and swung the sword to knock his foe down again.

The mobile suit hit the ground of the Orb base and smashed the concrete to bits; if it tried to move it didn't have time. Shinn lifted his sword and sliced the legs of the gundam off; without pausing for breath he raised his sword one last time and rammed it straight in to the head of the mobile suit until the tip buried in to the concrete beneath.

Having captured his prey the Destiny stood over it in victory; Shinn pulled off his helmet and opened his cockpit gun at the ready. He lowered himself to the entrance of the enemy's. He was prepared for it to open and the stranger to come out in one final attack. But the cockpit remained sealed. Taking a stance over it with his weapon lifted Shinn kicked at the hatch.

"Open up!" he demanded "or I'll open it for you!"

There was a pause.

And then the click of the hatch door; it opened and revealed the pilot inside. The helmet shrouded most of the face and through only the small piece of glass could Shinn see a pair of emotionless eyes. But apart from this the antagonist was unarmed.

"Remove your helmet and get out of the cockpit with your arms in the air!"

Seemingly deciding fighting would be pointless the stranger obeyed without comment and unlocked himself from the seat. Then he clambered out from the cockpit and stood before Shinn silently.

"Take the helmet _off_" Shinn's fingers tensed around his gun.

There was a pause as the stranger lifted his hands to his head; he pulled the head protection off and blinked expectantly…

But Shinn couldn't move. He couldn't even think. It wasn't true. It wasn't possible. His eyes were lying. They had to be. He'd forgotten to keep his gun steady but he didn't even think about this. The world suddenly seemed to be unreal and dreamlike. Was he dreaming? There was no other way to look at it. From somewhere in his head something told him that he should contact his superiors. But the ability to carry out his orders was impossible.

And what would he tell Commander Joule anyway?

That the attacker really _was_ a ghost?

"R-Rey?"

* * *

><p>Ok, I know-I know. I have brought back not one person, but TWO! Super lame and I'm normally well against the idea of bringing the dead back. But as has been previously mentioned, I was outta options.<p>

I needed a Coordinator that could get in to the Plants and no one would suspect. I know I had a couple of options like brainwashing Luna or Meyrin or someone like that, but I had that idea too late for the story – it happens sometimes. I didn't want to use Le Creuset or Athrun's father because they would attract too much attention. I think a lot of people would have noticed if Patrick Zala suddenly started walking around.

I also could have used Nicol's father but that is a blatant use of an idea that one of my readers have used in their own fanfiction. I'm a lot of things but unless you happen to be my mother's purse I am not a thief.

All in all Rey was the option I came up with, and lame as it might be, I'm gonna try and make it work.

Anyway, thanks for reading!

Please leave a review!

Kiki

Kizzes!


	15. The Road To Hell

This is a long Author's Note but PLEASE READ.

I know there's been a couple of you who have pointed out that Yuna is either too stupid or too cowardly to have pulled this off. I am aware that at this present moment in time he does seem like he's pulling all the strings.

But is he?

Up until now the only time Yuna has appeared is on a screen with Lacus in tow. Think about it long enough and you'll realise that it doesn't actually say as much about Yuna as you'd first think. Someone can be totally different when they're on a screen as opposed to when they're off it.

How do you think Actors make a living?

Just let the story run its course; this story is going to be more than twenty chapters long. I am aware of Yuna's slight OOCness but you gotta give this story a little time.

That said, I really like it when some of you send PMs with ideas and thoughts about the story and I would hate it if you stopped, some of you have sent through amazing ideas that I have LOVED even if I hadn't used them.

On another note.

I really resent the person who sent me a PM telling me to hurry the f**k up. You said other things as well that were rude, irrelevant and, quite frankly, spelt wrong. You've never even bothered to leave a review so how was I supposed to know this was your favourite story?

I'm really pleased you like the story that much, but being rude doesn't make me hurry – it actually inspires me to slow the f**k down. I know I've taken longer than normal to update but I do have a life and I took a break from Fanfiction to decide what I'm going to do with it.

While I love Fanfiction to bits, it's not going to bring in a lot of cash.

I'm sure the rest of you can understand that without having to insult yourselves by sending a PM full of curses and spelling mistakes.

As for those of you who have had ideas for my story please-please keep sending them to me. I may not use them but they're still awesome.

That one about the Newtypes – GOLD!

* * *

><p><strong>Silver And Gold<strong>

**Chapter Fifteen: The Road To Hell**

There were so many questions running through Kira's mind. How had Yuna Roma survived? Where was he? Where was Lacus? Why was _Requiem_ being rebuilt? Did Yuna Roma have anything to do with that? Was Yuna Roma's plan simply to get revenge on the people he thought had ruined his life? Or was there a bigger picture? How had Lacus known something was wrong? Why hadn't she told him? Why hadn't she let him protect her?

What was it Athrun had been going to tell him?

And now, he was faced with another question. A burning question that flummoxed them all; he looked to Lunamaria and Meyrin who were standing there mouths open unable to speak. Deputy Trine too was in a state of shock; he'd been so surprised he'd burst out laughing, now he just stood there.

Kira sighed worriedly "and you're sure this is him?" he asked, "it couldn't be another clone of Mu's father or something?"

Lunamaria shook her head "it's him" she replied helplessly "it's Rey Za Burrel, I'm certain"

"The DNA matches our records, Captain" Trine added equally lost "there's no doubt about it"

"I see…" Kira answered feeling subdued "and what was his supposed death again?"

"He died in a fire, Captain, with Chairman Durandal and Captain Gladys…or at least, that's what we all believed"

As one they all turned to look at the pale young man sitting silently in a chair before them; he was in the hold, locked in a cell, it had been the only place Kira could think of. He was an enemy after all. He sighed again, feeling drained; his uniform was still soaked and covered in sand from the beach he and Athrun had dragged themselves on to.

Behind them Yzak and Dearka were silent. It had been Dearka who had found Kira and Athrun; Lunamaria hadn't been far behind him and had transported her Captain back to the ship while Athrun caught a ride with Dearka. They'd returned to the _Eternal_ to find Yzak and Trine standing there with ashen faces and a revelation that caught them all by surprise.

"First Yuna Roma, now Rey" Trine murmured "everyone keeps coming back from the dead…has an almighty power turned them to angels and sent them down to serve a greater purpose?"

He caught Yzak scowling at him and smartly decided to keep all supernatural thoughts to himself and himself alone. Meanwhile Rey had decided that he'd grown tired of sitting and now stood up. Silently he walked to the bars and looked directly at Kira in an unblinking stare.

"You are Kira Yamato?" he asked.

Kira started at the sound of his own name and for a moment hesitated before he nodded his head slowly "you know who I am?"

"I have seen pictures in order to establish my targets?"

"Your targets?"

"Kira Yamato. Alex Dino. Cagalli Yula Athha"

"And what about Lacus?" asked the young Captain darkly "how does she fit in?"

"She was the bait to lure the three targets together, to bring these three enemies to the nation of Orb where they are to be captured and punished for their crimes"

"Crimes?"

"Their crimes against Yuna Roma"

"And what is our punishment for these crimes?"

"To be taken to Yuna Roma who will decide their fate"

Kira's eyes narrowed; for a moment he was silent as he thought something through. Then, as if he was testing a theory, he said slowly "you speak a lot of Yuna, and you seem to know his plans. Why is that?"

"Because he is my master and I am bound to serve him" replied Rey.

Behind her Captain Lunamaria gasped; something was very wrong, terribly so. This wasn't Rey. It couldn't be. Rey Za Burrel didn't worship Yuna Roma, he barely even knew who the man was; Gilbert Durandal had been the man Rey had loved, the one he had adored. But that face. Those eyes and the DNA result. They all told her that this young man standing before her was the same young man who had been serving with her back on the _Minerva_.

"So you're following his orders?" asked Kira.

"To the letter"

"Alright, what was your objective?"

"To capture Kira Yamato and Alex Dino"

"Capture us? You almost killed us"

"There was never any danger that I would harm you. It was you who jumped in to the water"

Kira accepted this quietly and gazed with concern at the young man sitting in the hold; he sighed lightly. He knew who Rey was of course; Kira made sure he knew all of those who had tried to kill him. And Rey was another clone of Mu's father; Mu had been very interested on the topic.

Suddenly Lunamaria couldn't take it any more; she pushed passed her Captain and clung on to the cell bars "Rey! What happened to you! Why are you following Yuna Roma!"

"Because he is my master" replied Rey emotionlessly.

"How can you say that?! You don't even know the man!" Lunamaria growled "and what about us? We're your friends!"

Rey blinked at her slowly "I am not your friend" he replied, "you are not even of any import to me"

"But-"

"That's enough," said Yzak taking a step forward "this should be handled by the Captain and higher ranks. Return to your duties"

"No! Please, I have to stay!" Lunamaria protested, showing a fire and stubbornness worthy of Shinn "he's my friend-"

"I will say again" Rey interrupted her "I am not your friend, I don't even know your name"

Lunamaria stared at him; it felt like she'd been kicked in the face "what…that's not…" she shook her head vehemently "what are you talking about?! Of course you know my name! We were on the _Minerva_ together!"

"Another lie" he said in the same monotone voice "the only time I have seen you is on the cliff sides of Orb when I tried to take Alex Dino"

That caught them all by surprise; Kira came to stand by his subordinate "it was you who attacked them? Why?"

"As I said I tried to take Alex Dino" Rey blinked, it was almost as if he were a robot "I will admit my plan failed, and Alex Dino was close to being injured"

"You could have easily killed him!" Lunamaria growled, torn between confusion, grief and anger "Shinn too!"

"If he had not been so focussed on protecting his companion down in the cavern his life would not have been in danger. And of course you got in my way"

Lunamaria's hands tightened round the bars, but this time Yzak stepped forwards; he took Lunamaria by the shoulder, not unkindly "your presence is no longer required, Pilot, return to your duties"

Lunamaria looked from the Commander to her Captain; there was something very wrong with this scene, and if she walked away now she was scared she'd lose a very important chance. But Kira shook his head "you and Meyrin should leave, you'll be briefed later"

"But, Captain-"

"I won't hide anything from you" he insisted "now, please, leave this to us"

She looked back at Rey again, and then with the threat of tears just moments away she grabbed her sister and left. Meyrin looked back at Rey as she let her sister pull her out; the last time she'd seen Rey he'd been egging Shinn on to kill Athrun and her. Now he was sitting there as if he had no idea who she was. It was too strange.

Kira watched them go and then glanced at the soldiers around him. Yzak, Dearka and Trine. He could trust all of them he knew and so he turned back to the young man in the cell. Taking a step forward he asked, "how did you escape the fire?"

Rey blinked "I have never been in a fire" he replied.

This caught Kira off guard and he glanced sideways at Yzak; coming to his side Yzak gave their prisoner a long hard look, there didn't seem to be any sign of deceit in Rey's expression. Rather, there was no emotion at all "did Captain Gladys survive along with you?" he asked in a rather clipped voice.

"I do not know anyone called Gladys, Captain or otherwise" answered Rey.

Yzak's eyes narrowed; very slowly he studied Rey again his keen eyes inspecting every tiny movement the ex-Zaft member made, then he asked slowly "what about Durandal?"

"Again," was the reply "I do not know who you're referring to"

Now they were all confused. It was one thing not to know Captain Gladys; if this was someone disguised as Rey Za Burrel, using his identity, then there was a great chance they would never heard of Captain Gladys. But to not know Durandal was impossible.

Gilbert Durandal was more known throughout the world than Patrick Zala.

"You're lying" said Yzak.

"Quite the opposite actually, I don't know anyone called Durandal"

"That's ridiculous! Gilbert Durandal was the previous Chairman of the Plants, how could you not know that!"

"It is of very little interest to me who the Chairman of the Plants was, I fail to see what this has to do with anything relating to me"

It was here Kira pulled Yzak aside "there's something wrong" he said urgently.

"Congratulations, Captain Obvious, so glad you noticed!" Yzak snapped.

"I'm serious" Kira persisted "I've seen this guy before, he was the one that shot Durandal in the first place. He chose to stay with Captain Gladys and die. From what Athrun's told me Rey Za Burrel worshipped Durandal, he loved him as a father"

"I'm very well aware of Rey Za Burrel's history, thank you!" Yzak hissed rather savagely. He glanced back at the soldier in the cell "his answers are strange, a fool can see that"

Kira too looked back at the cell "how long have you been working for Yuna Roma?"

"My master raised me from when I was a small child, my world revolves around him"

Yzak lifted an eyebrow; he'd had enough "Dearka, I want this guy to be examined from top to bottom. Got that?"

"Yes"

"I want to know if he really is Rey Za Burrel, I want to know if he's the same man Lunamaria Hawke shot, I want to know everything and anything. Don't spare any details"

"Got it" Dearka nodded "you want gravy with that?"

Yzak glared at him "just get on with it!"

Kira turned to Trine "I think we need to contact Orb, they'll want to know all the latest developments"

"Yes, Captain" Trine saluted and turned to leave with Dearka.

"Talking of Orb" Yzak turned back to the Captain of the _Eternal_ "where's Athrun?"

"I…" Kira faltered as he suddenly realised that he didn't know.

"Hmph" Yzak snorted non too pleased "you know, for someone who has wormed his way in to this investigation, you'd think he'd be a little more interested when someone from the dead showed up"

* * *

><p>"<em>Shinn? Are you in there?<em>"

The Coordinator stepped out of his bathroom and rolled his eyes, sighing to the heavens he hit the speaker button and said "no"

Turning back in to his room he picked up his trousers and pulled them on; there was a pause and then his door slid open. Shinn groaned out loud and turned to face the Admiral who was rather taken aback to find Shinn was stripped down to his waist.

"You're…um…"

"I just had a shower" Shinn supplied, wondering why he was explaining himself in the first place "it's called being hygienic"

For some reason Athrun found himself feeling uncomfortable and rubbed at the back of his neck subconsciously "you should really lock your door when you're not decent" he muttered, "anyone could walk in"

"Anyone just did" Shinn replied shortly, he turned back round to face Athrun and noticed he was looking a little flustered "what'd you want?" he asked impatiently.

"I-"

"Wait, don't tell me. You know how I'm feeling, it's happened to you too. Or, my personal favourite, don't give Kira Yamato a hard time – you should become his best friend instead" the young Pilot gave his visitor a sceptical look "am I on the right lines here?"

"You're angry with me" said Athrun lightly.

"You're the one that called me a distraction" Shinn answered coolly "I just don't understand why you're here _wasting_ your time. You could be with your precious friend"

"Shinn-"

"Unless it's _because_ of Captain Yamato that you're here" the Pilot realised "is that it? Are you here to tell me that the Captain has enough to worry about and he doesn't need me going off on the deep end-"

"I came to see if you were alright"

The Admiral's voice was quiet but it cut through Shinn's rant like a knife; the younger went quiet and turned his back to other. All of a sudden he was feeling too exposed and he had to pretend he didn't care why Athrun was here. Athrun gazed at Shinn's back for a moment; he could see faint marks down Shinn's spine and there was a darker bruise on the back of Shinn's neck.

He'd stayed there longer than the rest because Shinn had moved his head the side and bared his neck some more-

Athrun suddenly realised what he was doing, and looked away.

"You should go," said Shinn blankly "I don't want you here"

His heart was thudding; for some reason he was feeling more naked now than when Athrun had bedded him. He looked around quickly for his t-shirt and reached out to get it when a hand rested gently on his shoulder; it was warm, and it gave Shinn a memory so sharp it was like being hit.

"Rey is back from the dead" Athrun whispered, "don't pretend that doesn't bother you"

The Destiny Pilot swallowed, but didn't move "it might not be him" he answered numbly "could be a clone or something"

"True. But I think you know it isn't"

Shinn breathed out harshly; the hand on his shoulder had caught him off guard and he was fumbling with his anger "doesn't mean a thing" he said in a hard voice "I don't care"

"If a friend of mine came back from the dead and was working with an enemy, I would care"

"Yeah, well I'm not Mr Sensitive like you. I actually have a backbone"

"Shinn…" the hand left Shinn's shoulder and it left an empty impression.

"Look, just get out, I don't need any of your damn crap"

"Turn around. Look at me"

"Why?"

"Just do it"

Scowling the pilot turned to face his old Commander and found the look on Athrun's face so intense it almost hurt. But he ignored this; he ignored it all because he didn't care about it.

"You need to talk to Rey" Athrun was saying, "he's working with Yuna Roma and he could tells everything we need to know"

It took Shinn a moment to really register what the Admiral had just said; he stared at Athrun for a second and tried to connect the latest sentence to Athrun's supposed motive for coming at all "so much for coming to see if I'm alright" he snorted "you're just here because Rey will know where Lacus Clyne is"

"That's not true"

"Liar" Shinn shrugged, he didn't care "I'm not doing it anyway. That's Captain Yamato's job"

"Rey won't talk to Kira. He wants Kira dead because Kira killed Le Creuset"

"Commander Joule then"

"Yzak protected the _Eternal_ in the last battle when Durandal was killed, as far as Rey is concerned that's treachery"

"Fine, you talk to him"

Athrun lifted his eyebrows.

Even Shinn could see that was a stupid suggestion; traitor Athrun Zala had betrayed Zaft twice and broken Durandal's trust. If there was someone Rey wasn't going to open up to it was Athrun. Still, Shinn refused to give in "I still don't see why I have to do it"

"Because you're Rey's friend, if there's anyone on this ship he'll talk to then it's you"

Shinn glared "no!"

"Shinn-"

"I SAID NO!" Shinn clenched his hands in to fists "you're really something, you know that! You come in here pretending to care and see if I'm alright but the only reason you're here is to make _me_ do Captain Yamato's job!"

"That's not true" said Athrun again.

"Give me a break! You really think I've forgotten what you said! It was a mistake, remember! And being distracted by me was a waste of time! Lacus Clyne is the only thing we have to think about, that's what you said!"

"If-"

"You said we should remember why we're here! That's exactly what I'm gonna do! I'm a pilot who obeys orders and awaits the command of his Captain! You want Rey to talk then that's your job!"

He turned on his heel and grabbed his t-shirt angrily; emotions were swirling inside making everything so confusing. He was angry. He was angry because Rey had turned up and he had no idea how to handle it. He was angry because of what Athrun had said at the shooting range. He was angry he'd slept with Athrun in the first place. He was angry because he was angry. He shouldn't be angry; he should feel nothing because he didn't care about any of it.

He didn't give a damn he and Athrun had done it.

He didn't care that Athrun felt compelled to tell Kira _everything_.

It didn't bother him that Rey had come back.

But still, he was angry.

He clenched his fist tightly around his top before dragging it over his head; there was a soft noise behind him and all at once Athrun was turning him back to look him. His expression was calm despite the fact Shinn snarled straight in to his face.

"You're wrong" the Admiral still had a hold of Shinn's t-shirt but now he let it go as he spoke "it's true, I did come here because I think you're the only person who will get Rey to open up-" Shinn snorted with derision "-but I also came here because I know what this will be doing to you"

"Like hell you do!" the words were out before Shinn realised that by saying them he was admitting Rey's return was affecting him.

"Yes, I do" Athrun answered softly "I told you before, I know exactly what's going on in that head of yours"

"Oh, we're back to the whole we're so similar thing again, are we?"

"Say what you want" replied the Admiral "but we are alike, whether you like it or not"

"Not" said Shinn shortly.

"Well…it doesn't mean I didn't want to come and see how you were doing"

"I don't see why, I'm a distraction remember"

"Yes" for some reason Athrun smiled "yes, you are" he sighed lightly "and you're always butting heads with me"

He gave Shinn such a look of fondness Shinn almost flushed.

Athrun shook his head slowly "still, this is the last place I should be…" he murmured more to himself "but…"

He looked back up at Shinn and almost looked like he was going to kiss the younger Coordinator. There was that passion back in his eyes; that exact same expression Shinn had seen down in the cavern. The look Shinn couldn't resist. And suddenly Shinn wanted Athrun to kiss him so badly it hurt; he had to lean in closer lips parting.

If only Athrun didn't have that look on his face. If only he didn't keep persisting he knew how Shinn felt. It drove the young Pilot crazy; it made him angry and touched him all at the same time. It was too confusing. And now the Admiral was so close his features were blurring: like they'd done when Shinn had first kissed him.

In the flick of a switch Shinn was glad he'd done it. He was happy he'd kissed Athrun because it meant they were here now. The feeling came on so fast and strong Shinn didn't know how to handle it; he had no idea where it had come from. The air was thick between them, so heavy the tension was unbearable to manage-

Then Athrun's eyes lowered and he quickly pulled away looking awkward; the switch Shinn's brain flicked back to its first position and his annoyance boiled over more powerful than ever.

"Get out!"

"Shinn-"

"Stop saying my name all the time and get out!"

Still Athrun hesitated.

"You want me to shoot you? I don't even know why you're here! So GO!"

* * *

><p>"It's odd…" Kira muttered "I can't tell if he's lying or not. If he is telling the truth then it's clear he's had some sort of memory loss. Maybe the fire or the destruction of <em>Requiem<em> injured him in some way"

"That still doesn't explain why he suddenly thinks Yuna Roma of all people is his master" Yzak answered "it's quite a leap to change his hero from the Chairman of the Plants to an Orb official with Blue Cosmos tendencies"

"It's like his entire personality has been changed. But why?"

Miriallia looked up from her papers "could an injury do that?" she asked, "change somebody's entire history?"

"Come on, have you ever actually heard of such a thing?!" Dearka snorted – and then realised who he was talking to.

He shrank down in his seat like a puppy that had been kicked.

"I mean…sure, some people can lose their memories…" he mumbled to no one in particular "but writing over their entire life is just too weird…right?" he looked at Yzak for aid.

His Commander, and closest friend, completely ignored this silent plea for help and said, "we're looking at this wrong. Rey Za Burrel isn't the issue, Yuna Roma is"

"True" replied Murrue with a nod "but if we discover how Yuna is controlling Rey then we might be able to turn it against him. That way we can stop the people on _Requiem_"

"Why, what are they doing? Are they still repairing it" Kira asked.

"Yes, Orb has been keeping an eye on it" Murrue replied, "progress is slow, but Officials want to hold off destroying _Requiem_ just yet"

"Can someone explain to me _why_?" enquired Yzak archly "why don't you just blow the thing up and arrest the people"

"Because the people working on _Requiem _are odd" replied Miriallia.

"Meaning?"

"They're ordinary people, most of the ones we've managed to ID have been citizens of Orb"

"No way…" Kira's eyes widened "but _Requiem_ is pointing right at Orb, why would they build something that's going to destroy their home?"

"That's what we want to find out" Murrue replied with a sigh "this is all new information, Miriallia and I only heard about it half an hour ago. Not even Cagalli knows yet, it's going to upset her"

"_Requiem_ is going to become a problem if we don't figure out why these ordinary people, with no military background, are building it" Miriallia added, she looked over at Yzak "that's why we need to make Rey the issue, he could be the biggest clue we have"

"I'm sorry, could I just say something?" Mu held up his hand.

Kira looked over at him "of course, what is it?"

Beside Mu his wife looked irritated "if you're going to complain that this is the first you've heard about it then you shouldn't have missed the board meeting"

"Actually I was going to ask if everyone had just turned incredibly stupid" Mu replied.

"I don't understand" said Kira.

Mu sighed, "in the one hand" he held up his left hand "you have Yuna Roma. And in the right you have me" he waited "what do these two people have in common?"

"Ah, geez, I'm not nearly drunk enough for riddles" muttered Dearka.

"You're both Orb citizens?" guessed Kira aimlessly.

"No…we're were once both part of Blue Cosmos" Mu corrected "and why was I a part of Blue Cosmos? It wasn't because I hated Coordinators"

Kira blinked.

Mu sighed "waiting for you to click…" he urged.

"Your memories!"

"There we go" Mu smiled and folded his arms with satisfaction "ya got it"

"Blue Cosmos had some kinda machine that wiped your memories!" Kira realised with a gasp.

"They did?" Dearka looked surprised "nice one" he gave Mu a clap on the back "I would never have thought of that, it's impossible to do with Coordinator technology"

Mu grinned, "I just have this habit of making the impossible possible"

His wife rolled her eyes "stop acting like you created the machine yourself"

"So this machine" asked Yzak "it has the ability to recreate someone's entire memory?"

"Yes" Murrue looked a little sad "the only reason the Plants haven't heard about this before now is because the Earth Alliance and Orb decided it was a dark secret best left in the past. Blue Cosmos's sole reason for using the machine was to create soldiers that would kill without question"

"Even beautiful girls" sighed Mu gravely "they had no problems with just putting innocent girls in to awful machines and making them kill"

"You're talking about Stellar right?" Kira guessed.

"Yes, I didn't realise I told you her name"

"Athrun told me the basics, Lunamaria told me the rest. Shinn was very close to her"

"Ah…yes…_Shinn_" said Mu slowly, he cleared his throat "please don't leave me alone with Shinn Asuka" he grimaced "I don't fancy my chances"

The door opened and Trine stepped in the room, stopping to salute; Athrun walked in with a wedge of papers tucked under one arm. Trine saluted again, this time to his Captain and left the room leaving the occupants to look at the Orb Admiral who was seemingly preparing his notes.

"You're late" said Yzak shortly.

"…Sorry" replied Athrun taking a seat next to Miriallia.

"Has something come up?" asked Murrue.

"No, not at all" Athrun shook his head "I had to prepare my notes for the meeting"

"And that couldn't be done _before_ the meeting because?" asked Yzak.

"I wasn't aware I was under your command, Yzak"

"That doesn't mean you can walk in to a meeting half way through!" snapped the Commander.

"Where you been?" asked Kira "I looked in to the Captain's cabin before I came here, you weren't there"

"I…" Athrun started to lie, realised he couldn't do that and decided to avoid the subject all together "I've been thinking" he said instead "I think we should get Shinn to talk to Rey. They were friends back on the _Eternal_ so if anyone will get him to talk it'll be Shinn"

"That's if Za Burrel remembers him" Yzak pointed out.

Athrun looked blank "I don't understand"

"Well, it looks like Rey Za Burrel doesn't remember anything about his previous life or anyone in it. What he does think is that Yuna Roma is his number one god" Yzak threw Athrun a dirty look "of course you'd know all this if you'd bothered to turn up when we were questioning Burrel"

"He doesn't remember a thing?" asked Athrun "nothing about the _Minerva_?"

"His memories have been replaced" Murrue told him.

"Replaced. Are you referring to that machine Blue Cosmos created? The one that they used to make soldiers?"

Mu grinned, "Zaft kid catches on faster than the lot of ya!"

"Yuna Roma was a part of Blue Comos" Athrun thought aloud "I suppose he could have saved one of the machines from being destroyed"

"I'm sure we could have figured that out for ourselves" said Yzak sarcastically.

Athrun gave him a glare "I'm just trying to catch up"

"You wouldn't have to if you'd been here in the first place!" the Commander retorted, "where have you been anyway?! Obviously not with any Orb Officials!"

"I don't see why it's any of your concern where I've been" answered Athrun "as you've stated many times, Yzak, we're not actually part of the same-"

"There's something WRONG with you!" Yzak cut in; he stood up to emphasize his point "you really think we haven't noticed you've been distracted. When you actually bother to show up to a meeting it looks like you've walked in by mistake! Now you've started a disappearing act!" he glowered down at his former comrade "Lacus Clyne has been kidnapped and you're walking around like there's somewhere else you could be!"

"That's not true, I'm fully aware of the situation"

"Then start acting like it!" Yzak breathed fierily "otherwise I'll ask the Orb Officials to have you replaced with someone more suited"

Athrun stood up "I'll be dammed before I let that happen!"

"Hey-hey!" Dearka rose quickly and slipped between them "let's remember where we are, Ladies, fighting amongst ourselves won't help" he looked at Athrun "right?"

The Orb Admiral hesitated but relaxed once more.

"Yzak?" Dearka looked at his friend expectantly "Lacus Clyne, remember? That's why we're all here"

Yzak's jaw hardened but he stepped back nevertheless.

Kira on the other hand was far from relaxed "it's getting worse" it was a whispered but the whole room heard him.

As he sat back in his seat Athrun looked up quickly "Kira?"

"I went to Cagalli earlier" said the Captain "you didn't come with me"

"I might have done if you told me you were going"

"I couldn't find you, Athrun!" Kira replied in a harder voice "I didn't know where you were"

"Sorry, I was…"

"Where! Where did you go, Athrun? Why won't you say?"

There was worry on Kira's face, and not only that but also a little distress; he gave his friend a long steady gaze, trying to see in to Athrun the way he'd been able to do all their lives.

"Athrun, before Rey attacked, you were going to tell me something" he said it in a low voice, as if he'd completely forgotten they weren't alone "what was it?"

Athrun on the other hand hadn't forgotten where they were; his eyes lowered to the floor. Everyone could see it; the strain between the two boys was as clear as a painting on the wall. Kira's face was almost heartbroken and the Orb Admiral's expression only grew more shrouded.

"Now isn't the time to talk about that, Kira?"

* * *

><p>Cagalli stood by the seat looking down at the low table in front of her; her arms were folded and she was distracted. In fact she was worried, and she was worried about something she'd never even considered. Kira had been to visit her earlier in the day; to her surprise Athrun hadn't been with him. She hadn't seen her Admiral in a couple of days and it was bothering her.<p>

The door slid open.

"Cagalli?"

Athrun came in to the room "you're supposed to be under protection, and you sure as hell shouldn't have come here alone"

"Well, if Mohammed won't come to the mountain then the mountain must come to Mohammed" she replied turning to face him.

"What's that mean?" he asked.

Cagalli paused; she wasn't actually sure how to handle this, but her brother had asked for her help and she couldn't let him down. Even if this was about Athrun "you know Kira came to see me earlier, right?"

Athrun leant against the chair before he answered, "I'm aware," he answered in a numb voice "Kira mentioned it"

"You weren't with him"

"I'm know that, look-"

"I'm not keeping tabs on you" she interrupted him "I trust you more than I could ever tell you…it's just-" she stopped and tried to shape her words properly, then she threw caution in to the wind "Kira's worried about you. He came to me today to ask if Orb had some official secret that was bothering you but you couldn't talk to him about"

Athrun looked away from her feeling ashamed "what did you say?"

"You know what I said. The only thing concerning Orb right now is Lacus and Zaft knows everything we do" she looked at him closely "that's true, isn't it?"

"Of course it is"

"So there's nothing you've found out about Lacus that you're unable to tell Kira?"

"No, if I knew anything about where Lacus was Kira would be the first person I would tell"

"Even if she was dead"

That took Athrun by surprise "Cagalli!"

"I know I'm being hard here" she sighed heavily "but I'm just trying to figure out what secrets you would keep from Kira. You tell him everything"

"I know as much as the rest do," said Athrun firmly "as far as I'm aware Lacus is fine, Yuna has no reason to kill her or hurt her in any way"

"Then what is this about?" Cagalli persisted "what's so wrong you can't talk about it?"

Athrun looked back at her questioningly "why are you so concerned about this?" he asked.

"Because I expected Kira to ask a lot of me for this kidnapping, help from Orb Officials, soldiers, weapons even" she answered passionately "but I never thought in a million years Kira would ask me for help over you"

Athrun's shoulders dropped; he was being a fool and he knew it, worse than that he was beginning to be selfish too. It was so simple to just tell Kira, tell Cagalli, the truth. There was nothing wrong with what had happened between Shinn and him. Telling Kira everything would put his friend's mind at rest; it would ease Cagalli's worry too. It was the right thing to do for everyone; he'd been on the point of telling Kira after all.

If Rey hadn't attacked Athrun would have told him everything. So why didn't he now? It would be easy to find Kira and tell him right there and then…

…But Shinn's face.

If only Athrun could break away, just cut the connection between him and Shinn. He had tried to. But every time he tried he found himself bickering with Shinn all over again. He just couldn't seem to keep away. It was like a fire spark inside him and walking away only fanned the flames.

"Athrun?" she came over to him and took his hand; it was written all over his face that there was something tormenting him. He looked so ashamed and lost; she could see it, even without him speaking. There was secret he was keeping; she had no idea what it could be, she could only hope he would open up to her.

But there was only one Athrun had ever truly opened up to.

Kira.

"We were going to be married once" she whispered.

"Yes, I know"

"I want you to tell what it is you're hiding. It's doesn't matter what it is, Athrun, just tell me"

Athrun's heart constricted; it was _because_ they were once engaged he couldn't tell her. He couldn't bring himself to tell her about Shinn knowing the fact that he'd once wished to marry her. It felt so wrong somehow. Like breaking some unspoken law; to think of it made his chest hurt. He couldn't bring himself to watch her face when he told her that there was someone else he'd slept with after her. And to admit it was Shinn Asuka of all people just made his stomach want to drop out.

"Kira's worried about you" Cagalli persisted when he said nothing "more than that, he's worried about Lacus. This distraction isn't helping anything, surely you can see that"

Still, the Admiral could say nothing; he didn't know what was wrong with himself. Part of him wanted so badly to admit to what had happened, and yet some voice in his head reminded that revealing the truth was Shinn's worst nightmare.

But…

…This was Kira.

This was Cagalli.

Athrun couldn't keep lying to them. And then there was the subject of Lacus. Every moment Athrun spent worrying over Shinn was another moment wasted. He couldn't keep doing this. It was just a list of broken hearts.

He turned away from her and closed his eyes. Memories. They were his downfall. Because he could still picture everything; Shinn's skin, his breath, the way he'd…touched-

And then there was Kira's face. That awful expression he'd had on his face at their last meeting. The hurt. The worry.

Athrun hadn't felt this torn since he'd fought against Orb.

"Athrun?"

There was a further pause.

"I think Shinn should still talk to Rey"

Cagalli stared at him; it took her a moment to understand what her Admiral was on about "Shinn?" she repeated, "what's he got to do with anything?"

"He was friends with Rey on the _Minerva_" Athrun turned back around "close friends, if anyone is going to jog Rey's memory then it's Shinn"

"Well…great" she replied "but what's that got to with Kira's concern about you"

"We need to find Lacus" Athrun continued "Rey's our best chance, I'm sure as soon as his memories are returned to him then he'll be more than happy to talk"

"Athrun-"

"Then of course we need to consider Yuna's plan, I'm sure he has more planned than simply kidnapping Lacus to get to the three of us. He's rebuilding _Requiem_ after all, there's obviously some other motive he has"

"Yes, I know-"

"It concerns me that Orb is in the direct line of fire" the Admiral continued "I wouldn't put it passed Yuna to blow up his own country, then again he might want to hold it at ransom once it had been rebuilt. It would be wise to arrest those he has working on it, I'm aware it's not their fault if their memories have been altered as we think-"

"_Athrun_"

She grabbed his arm and squeezed hard.

He stopped abruptly and once again couldn't bring himself to look at her "Shinn should talk to Rey…" was all he muttered.

"Fine" she accepted "I'm all for it, and I can't imagine Kira wouldn't be" she held on tighter to his arm "but, Athrun, this has to stop"

She lifted up a hand and turned his face so their eyes could meet.

"Whatever it is you're keeping to yourself is not doing any of us any good" she brushed a strand of hair from his face "I know you know that"

"Cagalli…"

"You don't have to tell me what it is" she overrode him "I'd rather you wanted to tell me than forcing you" she sighed lightly "but think of Kira, and Lacus. They're two of the most important people in your life, aren't they?"

"Yes"

"Then they deserve a little more of your attention"

Despite the ache in his chest Athrun had to smile "is that an order, or a lecture you're giving me?"

"It is both an order, and a lecture"

"My, haven't we become commanding, and here was me thinking you were shy when it came to giving orders"

"Don't mollycoddle me!" she berated "I've thought long and hard about what I was going to say to you!"

"Say whatever you want" he replied.

She looked back at him and tilted her head.

"It's true Lacus and Kira are very important to me," Athrun said calmly "but you're also important to me"

"Your point?"

"If you have an order to give me, then tell me what it is. I'll do it without question"

She blinked "you'd rather I'd order you than let you tell me of your own freewill?"

"Yes"

"Why?"

Athrun's smile returned, though there was a hint of sadness; it felt bad that an order would make things easier than admitting to the truth "lets just say I'd prefer it"

Cagalli stared at him a little longer and then huffed "tough" she replied, "I'm not going to order you to tell me your secret" there was resolution in her eyes "you'll have to do that by yourself"

The Admiral nodded slowly "alright" he accepted.

"I will give you one order though"

"What's that?"

"Save Lacus" Cagalli's voice drew quiet "no matter what it takes"

Again he nodded and took her left hand in his; her ring finger was quite bare and soft to the touch. He held it for a moment, remembering everything that had ever happened to her; then he let go. From the doorway Shinn watched this, stayed motionless for another pause, and then walked away.

* * *

><p>So, for those of you who liked the idea of Shinn being jealous of Cagalli, that's coming up in the next chapter.<p>

To Ming and LL: I'm sorry I haven't replied to your reviews properly. I actually like to thank all my reveiwers for each of their reviews but this time I just thought my Author's Note was a little too long up at the top. So, To LL: Don't worry, Rey is not going to be in love with Shinn at all, but he is very invovled in the storyline, and, as I said at the top, Yuna isn't necessarily as clever as you'd think him to be. To Ming: Yeah, Athrun was a little...jerkish shall we say, but if everything was just plain sailing between those two then there wouldn't be much of a story. :)

Thanks you two for your reviews!

Anyway, thank you to every one for reading this chapter, I do hope you enjoyed it.

I know long Author's Notes are annoying but there were a couple of issues I had to deal with.

Thanks again, please leave a review!

Kiki

Kizzes!


	16. Jealousy Is Red

**Review Replies  
><strong>Nan: Thank you ever so much for your review! You check the site every day?! Man, now I feel bad it's taken me this long to update.

Ming: I am so happy you like the story! Thank you very much for you review! I hope I continue to impress!

* * *

><p>So I'm back. I took a break from Fanfiction for a while but I'm back and updating three stories! Whoot!<p>

Anyway, a little note. Some of you may find Kira a little OOC in this chapter. In all honesty I'm not entirely sure how to portray his character. He loves Lacus and Athrun very much thus it's hard to know how he would react if he felt Athrun wasn't completely with him and from what I remember of his character he's a lot more sure than Athrun ever was, so to portay him when he is unsure is a little difficult.

On another note, the chapter title. It's a play on words (a poor example). It's hinted at Shinn's jealousy and the 'red' is a reference to his uniform. I only say this at all because I know that the colour of jealousy is green.

Disclaimer: I do not own Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny or it prequel.

WARNINGS: None I can think of.

So, if any of you are still out there wanting to read this story...

...please enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Silver And Gold<strong>

**Chapter Sixteen: Jealousy Is Red**

The cells were darkened as Shinn entered them and walked down the corridor through the middle; for some reason, the guards had found it necessary to plunge Rey in to darkness and gloom. Finding a light switch as he passed he flicked it on and the light burst in to life. Hearing a shuffle from one of the cells Shinn walked to it.

Only to stop mid-step before Rey could see him.

It occurred to Shinn that this is what Athrun must have done when he'd come to see Shinn in the cells after they'd first kissed. Or rather, after Shinn had kissed Athrun in his sleep. Absently he lifted a hand to his mouth and was stroking his lips before he realised what he was doing. Quickly taking his hand away he grit his teeth and stepped forwards in to Rey's sights.

He hadn't seen Rey since the pilot had pulled off his helmet and sent a shockwave straight through Shinn's heart. There was silence; Shinn looked awkwardly away while Rey surveyed his visitor with apathy. The quiet was aggravating and Shinn cursed himself inside. What exactly did Athrun expect him to do anyway? That was why Shinn was here after all. Loathed, as he was to admit it, the only reason why he'd made his way down here at all was because Athrun had asked him to.

"Damn him…"

"Are you going to stand there forever?"

That voice. It kicked Shinn in the stomach; tensing he stepped forward and looked in to the cell at the person sitting calmly upon the seat and staring back at him. It was Rey, there was no doubt in his mind now; part of him had hoped that it all had been some kinda sick joke or trick on his eyes. Anything to believe that his dead friend was still very much dead.

"Rey…"

"You know my name" said Rey emotionlessly "I find it interesting that so many aboard this ship know my first name"

"That's because we know you," replied Shinn savagely, trying to hide how freaked out he was right now "you were a pilot on the _Minerva_ with me and Luna. You were our friend"

"Indeed, so I've been told" Rey snorted "such lies serve no purpose to you. If you think you shall trick me in to telling you the whereabouts of my master then you're fools"

"They're not lies!" Shinn bristled "none of them! You were my friend, Rey! Luna's too! And we all took orders from Captain Gladys and Athrun Zala!"

"Athrun Zala?" at this name Rey's interest peaked suddenly "what a strange person to add to your concocted story. The whole world knows that Athrun Zala disappeared when he betrayed Zaft for the second time"

Now Shinn blinked, confused "what are you talking about?" he asked "you know exactly where Athrun is, you've been chasing him for crying out loud"

"Athrun Zala is not my target. My targets are Cagalli Yula Athha, Kira Yamato and Alex Dino"

"But Athrun is-" Shinn stopped abruptly. Did Rey not know that Athrun _was_ Alex Dino? How was that possible? He'd known it since they'd first met Athrun, Cagalli had given him away; They'd all known who Athrun was almost the first time they saw his face. But now Rey sat there were an expression of disinterested puzzlement. Could it be Rey had been made to forget that little fact?

If that was the case then it meant that Yuna Roma didn't know either.

Did that make things better or worse?

Shinn didn't know. He sighed and wondered what Athrun wanted out of this whole pointless situation; there was no point in Shinn talking to Rey if Rey didn't know who he was. Surely this was a task for officials and Captain Yamato; already Orb had put in a request to question Rey themselves. A darkness filled Shinn; thinking about Orb reminded him of watching Athrun and Cagalli together the day before.

He clenched his fist feeling angry without really understanding why "fine" he said through gritted teeth "so you've forgotten who you are. That doesn't mean I've forgotten you"

"Your point?"

"I know things about you, Rey, I can prove we used to be friends"

A small meaningless smile touched Rey's lips "even if that were the case" he answered coolly "it doesn't mean I'll tell you anything about my master"

"Stop calling him your master!" Shinn snapped.

"Why? Should I change my ways just because you don't like it?"

"No! Because he's not your master!"

"Of course he is. He is the man that raised me, the man I love as if he were my father"

"You can't seriously think that! It was Durandal who was a father to you! Captain Gladys was like a mother! You always saw _them_ as your family!"

"Is that really the best you have?" Rey almost laughed.

Shinn glared and clung to the bars "no, I have more" he said in a dark voice "you're not normal, Rey. You're not a Coordinator or a Natural. Ever wondered why your body ages quicker than anyone else?"

Now Rey's eyes snapped up "what do you know about that?" he asked.

"Everything" Shinn answered staring back fiercely "I know you're a clone. I know you have to take medication to deal with the pain. I know that Le Creuset was a clone just like you, the reason why you wanted to get Kira Yamato was because he'd killed Le Creuset and you wanted revenge"

Rey gazed up at him; his expression was hard to read but it was sharper than before and now Shinn had his undivided attention "I don't know who Le Creuset is, or how you know that my body grows faster than most but none of it will persuade me to tell you anything"

"But it makes you curious, right?" Shinn shot back "you want to know more"

"I didn't say that"

"Whatever, then answer me a question"

"Why?"

"For the sake of my curiosity" Shinn took a step back from the cell and gave Rey a hard stare "where are you getting all this power from? The machinery you're using must use an awful lot, so where are you getting it? It's not as if Yuna Roma can walk up to an Orb Official and ask to use a power source"

Rey said nothing; for a moment he looked at Shinn with a meaningless expression, then he turned his face away and that was the end of their meeting. Shinn hesitated for a moment, unsure what he should do. He'd come down here and seen Rey, just like Athrun had wanted him to. But what good had it served?

To Shinn, it seemed nothing had been achieved at all…

* * *

><p>"I thought that if we looked for a huge surge of power we might be able to find where Yuna Roma has been camping out"<p>

"Yes, I agree," Kira smiled "that's a good idea, Shinn, I'm glad you went to see Rey. And thank you, I know it can't have been easy for you, the pair of you were friends after all"

"I just did what Athrun asked me to" Shinn replied purposefully.

Athrun's expression shrouded a little. Except Shinn couldn't read that expression and for some reason he didn't know it set him on edge. He had after all just done what Athrun had asked him to do; it hadn't been easy for Shinn to face his old friend and it couldn't hurt Athrun to show a little respect and gratitude.

"I thought it might be useful" the Admiral answered Kira's unasked question "Shinn and Rey were close friends, I thought it might jog his memory a little"

"It didn't" said Shinn icily.

He still felt mad at Athrun, and confused.

"It was worth an attempt" replied Athrun, just as shortly.

"Well, we at least have a lead we can work on" the Captain said, "Rey may not remember who he is, but he's given away more than he realised"

"Yeah" Shinn agreed, he looked at Athrun pointedly "thanks to me, but I guess you can take the credit. After all, it was your idea that I should go and see Rey in the first place"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Athrun asked with a glare "I understand that seeing Rey in that state can't have been easy, but if using Rey is the way to get to Yuna then we need to make the most of it"

"Don't you think I know that? Stop talking to me like I'm stupid!"

"Then stop acting like it" Athrun snapped.

Shinn's mouth clamped shut; he didn't understand why Athrun was being so hard on him. Had he done something wrong? He hadn't wanted to see Rey, but he'd done it anyway because Athrun had asked him to. What more did the Admiral want?

The moment the words left his mouth Athrun wanted to take them back. He hadn't meant them, not really; he was being harsh and he knew it. But what else was he supposed to do? Every time he came within range of Shinn his attraction to the Pilot got in the way of his common sense, and it wasn't just him; he saw the look on Shinn's face every time the Coordinator glanced at him. The confusion was there on Shinn's face just as much it was in Athrun's heart.

For their own sake's there had to be a wall between them.

That was why he was being so hard on him.

It was the only way.

He just wished it didn't make him feel so bad.

There it was again; Kira looked from one to the other and saw it clear as day. The absolute refusal to look at each other, the harsh words and suppressed feelings of hurt were so obvious to the Captain it almost hurt him. And still he had no idea what could possibly be wrong.

But he'd had enough.

Right here, and right now. This was Athrun's last chance to tell him the truth. If the Admiral didn't explain everything to Kira at this moment then Kira would simply give up. He didn't want to; he'd never given up on Athrun in his entire life. But Kira had reached his limit; Lacus was in danger every moment she wasn't at his side, and he had to think about that.

He couldn't spend his time worrying about Athrun.

"Athrun, Shinn-"

The door opened and Trine popped his head through.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Captain, but I thought you might like to be made aware of something"

"Can it wait a moment?" Kira asked, "I just want to…"

He trailed off.

Cagalli was standing behind Trine, looking in to the room at the three of them.

"Cagalli!" Kira turned round and went to his sister "what are you doing here? It's not safe here, you should go back to Orb"

"I came to get Athrun's report" Cagalli replied.

In truth she wasn't being completely honest. There was only one real reason why Cagalli was here; she wanted to see Athrun. The friction between her Admiral and her brother was unsettling. Of course, this wasn't the first time the relationship between Athrun and Kira had been strained – war had seen to that – but it was the first time they'd fought with each other when Lacus was in the picture. Lacus had always somehow managed to read both of them so easily, Athrun especially; she was as dear to him as Cagalli and Kira were. Everyone knew that.

But Athrun was distracted. His diversion had been the reason why Kira had come to see her. It was creating a tension between them and the longer it lasted the more Kira worried about it. Now, Athrun's distraction was distracting Kira. It was diverting them from Lacus, and that was the last thing Kira wanted.

Her brother didn't even know why there was any tension between him and Athrun in the first place.

He just couldn't shake the feeling that Athrun was keeping secrets.

What secret that could be neither he nor Cagalli had any idea.

That was part of the problem.

And it had to be sorted before everything flew out of control; many couldn't see why she would bother so much about a couple of guys having a spat. But this was Kira Yamato and Athrun Zala – the best Gundam Fighters in the world. Joined together they were unbreakable. But divided and turned away from each other made them weakened and easier to manipulate; Yuna was a coward and pathetic, but he was still an enemy. If there was a gap in their strength it could destroy them.

She couldn't stand by and let that happen.

"No, Kira's right" Athrun answered also walking over to her "you shouldn't be here"

Shinn blinked. Athrun had forgotten about him. Just like that. He hadn't even glanced at Shinn, nothing; the moment that Orb Princess had shown up Shinn had lost all connection with the Admiral. Resented bubbled inside him. Why was Cagalli so blessed with Athrun's attention?

Not that Shinn _cared_.

It just…pissed him off.

"I can send you my report, or Miriallia can pick it up. The Officials will go crazy if they find you've left your protection" Athrun was saying.

"Hey, if you think I'm going to let you lock me away while the rest of you get yourselves killed then you're barking up the wrong tree!" Cagalli argued, "I'm not hiding from Yuna Roma! If he wants threaten me and Orb then he can go ahead, we're planning to arrest those people who are rebuilding _Requiem_, soon Yuna won't have anything to destroy Orb with"

"That is not the point and you know it" Athrun replied "for all we know _Requiem_ could just be a smokescreen to hide a darker plan"

"Oh please" the Orb Princess snorted, "Yuna's not that clever"

"That may be, but forgive me if I don't want to take the risk"

"I agree with Athrun" Kira took his sister's hand and pulled her in to the room; the door closed behind her and Trine disappeared from sight with a quick salute "look, we have a lead on Yuna. We might be able to find him"

"Really? Then I want to come with you" said Cagalli.

"What? No way" Athrun denied, "that is not happening, we could be walking in to a trap"

"Exactly, you need as much power as possible. I have the _Akatsuki_, I can help"

"No. If we get captured then it's no big deal, we're soldiers and we can be replaced. It's different for you"

"Why? Because I'm the Leader of Orb?"

Shinn had taken all he could "well duh!" he sneered, "if you get caught Orb will be in chaos. Anyone who had half a brain could figure that out"

Athrun gave him a reproachful look, which for some reason on made Shinn edgier than he was already. If Cagalli had spoken to Shinn like that Athrun wouldn't have batted an eyelid.

Cagalli glanced over at Shinn. It had been a long time since she and Shinn had come in to contact - since before the second war. They hadn't parted on good terms and, from what she'd heard, Shinn's temper hadn't improved much. Clearly he still didn't hold her in any high regard.

She'd also heard about his spat with Kuzzey, and recent reports had told it had been Shinn that had shot Kuzzey – to prevent him from hurting Athrun of course.

That had been something else Kira had told her. Shinn's deep rooted need to impress Athrun was something he'd noticed and he was also sure that Shinn knew something about the secret Athrun held. That confused both Kira and Cagalli even more; Athrun and Shinn had a reputation of fighting with each other at any given moment, so it didn't make sense that Shinn would know something about Athrun that Kira didn't.

The issue of finding Yuna could be put on hold for a moment; first she had to deal with the real reason for her arrival. Athrun hadn't been kidding when he'd said her Officials would be going crazy.

"We can talk about Yuna later" she replied with a sigh "I didn't come for a report. I came here to talk to you two"

Athrun and Kira looked at her.

"Why?" asked Kira.

Cagalli sighed and folded her arms "Lacus has been kidnapped by a man who was dead and by a boy was who the beloved follower of Durandal. It's fairly safe to say that this is one of the most disastrous things that could have happened to the peace treaties and yet all you two can do is fight and keep secrets from each other"

She paused for effect.

Nobody said anything.

Shinn's annoyance boiled a little; first she was coming up with stupid ideas, which only proved to him that Orb really had gone to the dogs. Now she was butting her nose in where it _really_ didn't belong.

"I know that most of it is to do with some secret Athrun is keeping" she glanced at her Admiral "but you're not blameless, Kira, you keep pushing Athrun and it's not helping the issue" she looked deep in to her brother's face "I told Athrun that he could tell me his secret when he was ready, and you need to do the same"

"Cagalli, I-"

"No buts. I'm serious, Kira. If you two don't find some level ground between you then it's going to weaken us. Yuna will see that, he'll use it against us"

She rushed to them and took a hand from each; holding them to her she looked desperately at her brother and her Admiral. They were both quiet for a moment and then Kira looked away, almost with an expression of shame.

"I'm sorry, Cagalli, I'm not sure I can"

"Kira!"

"I don't understand what could be more important than Lacus" he replied "you said it yourself, she's been taken and Athrun-" he broke off.

Athrun started and looked quickly at his friend "what?" he asked with alarm "I what?"

But Kira didn't answer; he thought to himself for a moment.

He had no choice.

He had to give this up. For Lacus's sake.

"Nothing" he said "Cagalli's right, I should let you tell me in your own time. Maybe after Lacus has been found and Yuna has been arrested"

Athrun stared at him; something was wrong, very wrong. Kira had never had that look on his face before; it struck straight through Athrun's heart and unsettled him more than any enemy could "Kira…"

"No, Cagalli is right" Kira repeated, "until Lacus is found then this won't be talked about anymore"

But he wasn't looking at Athrun.

Athrun didn't know what to do. In all the years he'd known Kira, whether as a friend or an enemy, they'd always known what to say to each other. There had always been that door open for them. But now, that door had just slammed in Athrun's face; he'd never felt so far away from Kira in his life.

And it was all his fault.

If only he'd told Kira the truth.

If only he'd let that little secret go, this could all have been avoided.

But Shinn…hadn't wanted that.

He hadn't wanted anyone to know.

A part of Athrun had felt it right to respect that wish.

Except it had left him in the middle.

And now, Kira didn't want to know at all.

It wasn't in anything he said, or even any expression he'd made; Athrun simply knew that he'd missed his chance. That wasn't right; Kira didn't lock him out like this, he'd never done it before. But Lacus had been stolen and Cagalli's life was in danger; that changed everything. For all the love Kira had for Athrun, the rest of his heart belonged Cagalli and Lacus. It was them he would think of now, and Athrun could choose to help if he wanted.

Shinn watched the emotions cross the Admiral's face; Kira and Cagalli began to speak to each other but somehow Athrun and Shinn felt separate from that world. Shinn had no idea what the Captain was saying and in all honesty he didn't care; Athrun had never looked so lost and for some reason it caught Shinn deep in his heart, he hated that look on Athrun's face.

And he didn't know why Captain Yamato didn't know about him and Athrun already.

After all, Athrun had been going to tell Kira the truth the first chance he got.

"Really, Cagalli, you should return to Orb. It's not safe for you here, you could get hurt"

"So could you" Cagalli pointed out "both of you. I don't know what Yuna's plan is but it can't be good"

"It doesn't matter if anything happens to us" her brother reminded her "you're the Princess of Orb, if anything happens to you Orb would be lost"

"And I would be lost without you, if anything happened to you I'd have no family left"

"Hey, we'll be just fine, I promise you that. Lacus too, this is all going to be over soon"

Cagalli looked at Kira and wondered if he really meant that; there was a smile on his face but his eyes told a different story. He was worried, and the friction between him and Athrun was tearing him up inside. She wasn't sure, but she had a nasty feeling she'd just made things worse.

"I guess…but you have to make me a promise" she looked at the pair of them "I don't know what's happening between you, but it isn't right. I want a promise from you both that when this is all over you'll talk to each other, like you used to do"

Something inside Shinn clicked; not only had this moron put herself in danger she was now pushing Athrun in to telling Captain Yamato everything. Shinn had no idea why Kira didn't know already but it made him kinda happy that Athrun hadn't told his friend after all. But with Cagalli forcing him to make a promise like that, Athrun wouldn't have a choice.

"You just can't keep out of it, can you?" Shinn growled at her "can't you see it's none of your damn business! Why don't you just pack yourself back to your country before Yuna Roma walks in here and blows your stupid head off?"

Athrun whirled around; the back of his hand caught Shinn's face with a strike so hard it sent the Coordinator stumbling back. Silence followed; Shinn had never seen Athrun's face so dark. He'd taken a step too far and he wanted go back; he remembered Athrun touch, and the way the Admiral had smiled at him. He'd liked that Athrun, and that Athrun had liked him. But this Athrun…

This Athrun _hated_ him.

Behind him Kira and Cagalli were stunned; they'd never seen Athrun hit anyone before. There was a knock on the door and it opened; Trine peered in through the doorway.

"Um, sorry to interrupt again, Captain, but Miriallia is here to see Ath- I mean Commander Dino"

"I'm on my way" said Athrun still glaring at Shinn "Cagalli, wait here for a moment, I'll tell Miriallia to escort you back to Orb"

* * *

><p>"Miriallia"<p>

She turned round the moment Athrun stepped in to the room "is Cagalli here? Please tell me she is. The Officials are going spare. One of them is actually pulling at his hair, he's not far away from being very bald!"

"Don't worry, she's here. She came to see me and Kira"

Miriallia sighed with relief "well, at least that's something. Now we only have one disaster to deal with-" she stopped and gave her superior a closer look "Athrun, are you alright? You don't look-"

"It's nothing" he interrupted coming over to stand by the window so he look outside "you were saying about another disaster? What's happened?"

Miriallia sighed again "it's Kuzzey" she replied in a softer voice.

"Kuzzey? Is he alright?"

"He's gone looking for Yuna"

Athrun stared at her "what? Why?"

"Because he hates Coordinators and so does Yuna Roma"

Athrun closed his eyes for a moment; this wasn't turning in to a good day "we may have a location on Yuna, if Kuzzey is there we can pick him up. It's not as big a problem as-"

"That's not the disaster" Miriallia paused before she spoke again. She wasn't entirely sure how Athrun would react to the news; he seemed to be in a dark mood, and what she had to tell him would surely only darken him more "Kuzzey…has got all the codes to our weapons, he knows how to access them from a remote location"

"What!" Athrun turned to her now completely distracted from the scene outside "how did he manage that?! Where did he get the codes from?"

"We're not sure. He escaped from the hospital about four hours ago, from what we can tell he waited until it was all clear and then went down to storage where all our major weapons are kept. We think he stole the passwords to all our mainframes"

"But how's he managed to gain the remote codes? There's only a handful of us who actually have those-" Athrun stopped as the truth hit him "I see" he said shortly.

"Sai went to see him," Miriallia continued miserably "Kuzzey's his friend, he never imagined Kuzzey would…" she trailed off.

"Kuzzey stole the codes from Sai, gained access to all our mainframes…and now he's looking for Yuna" Athrun surmised, he massaged the side of his head with a finger "how much of this does Cagalli know?"

"She knows Kuzzey escaped, but she disappeared before we knew what he was up to" Miriallia looked at the Admiral "I know Kuzzey has gone too far this time" her voice was quiet "whatever you want to do, I'll agree"

"Even though he's your friend? Sai's too?"

"Kuzzey's just betrayed Orb, the country I love more than anything. He has to be stopped"

"Alright then, I'll deal with this personally" the Admiral decided "I want you to escort Cagalli back to Orb. Don't let her out of your sight"

"Yes" Miriallia turned to leave and then hesitated "what about Sai? I know Kuzzey has to be punished for what he's done, but none of this is Sai's fault"

"That's not entirely true. He was careless, and he let his guard down"

"Like you've never done that before"

The words were out of her mouth before she'd had time to think them through, but Athrun didn't react; he only smiled a little instead "I don't intend to punish Sai for any of this, but I want him to protect Cagalli, no matter what"

"Alright" still Miriallia was slow to leave. She walked to Athrun's side and gave him a close examination "are you sure you're ok? You look like you're about to break at any second"

"I wasn't aware you cared enough to take much notice. I'm Dearka's friend after all"

"We're in dark times right now, Lacus could be killed at any moment. I just want to make sure you remember you're here to lead us"

"I haven't forgotten" it wasn't a complete lie "but you could ensure Cagalli remembers it too, she's getting too worried about Kira and I"

* * *

><p>"There you are" Yzak turned on Kira as he entered the bridge "I called you almost ten minutes ago"<p>

"I was making sure Cagalli was safely escorting back to Orb" Kira replied.

"Isn't that Athrun's job?" Yzak questioned pointedly "he is an Orb Admiral after all"

"Athrun was there, but I wanted to make sure Cagalli was safe. She is my sister"

"Oh…yes, I keep forgetting" Yzak answered somewhat abruptly. It wasn't that Yzak had any problems with that the fact that Kira was a Coordinator and Cagalli was a Natural, it was more to do with that the fact that Kira would drop his Zaft duties at a moment's notice if the Orb Princess ever got herself in to trouble. It _irked _Yzak somewhat.

Nevertheless he had other things to address.

"The reason why I called you is that we've been looking in to possible locations where Yuna could be hiding, with the help of Orb of course" he said this last part with some irritation. Orb had been very cagey about letting Yzak take a look at their findings; somehow their security had been breached and they hadn't been happy letting some other organization in on their security secrets. Yzak had been forced to use his scary face just to get anything done.

"Did you find anything?" asked Kira looking over the results with interest.

"Yes, Dearka and I have narrowed it down to the most likely place. There are two other possibilities but we interrogated Rey Za Burrel again and he admitted this was the location" Yzak pointed to a location on the map spread out in front of him. He tapped it slowly frowning to himself.

"What's the matter?" asked Kira "do you think Rey was lying?"

"No…" the Commander shook his head "that's what bothers me a little, he seemed to break almost too easily"

Dearka looked up from where he was working with Meyrin "you had a grand total of seventeen guns pointing at his head at the time, remember" he snorted, "if it had been me I would have admitted to anything"

"It could still be a trap" Yzak insisted, "we should still be careful"

"I agree" Kira looked at the map and calculated the distance "do we have clearance from Orb to investigate?"

Yzak sighed, "they weren't overjoyed to let us but I eventually persuaded them-"

"Practically threatened to blow the entire country yourself" Dearka muttered under his breath.

"-So long as we have an Orb Representative accompany us"

"That's no problem, Athrun will come with us" the Captain looked up "Meyrin, would you call Athrun to the bridge?"

She saluted and obeyed his order as Dearka wandered over to join his superior "we'll need to be prepared, how do you want to do this?"

"I'm not sure, we'll need weapons of course, but we need something that will outsmart Yuna Roma"

"Shouldn't be too difficult" Dearka snickered "who hasn't heard the story about his wedding day, how he _bravely_ ran away from the Freedom and left his bride just standing there. I think it's kinda amazing he's managed to do this much"

"I've been thinking about that, one wouldn't think Yuna Roma is smart enough to accomplish all this. Sometimes I wonder if he's not working for someone else" Yzak replied, his expression darkened as he continued to think "and Rey Za Burrel bothers me"

"Me too" Kira murmured "I get that Yuna used the memory replacement machine on Rey to make him obey his every command, I even understand how Yuna made Rey sneak on the Plants to kidnap Lacus…I just don't know how Rey was taken from _Requiem_, how did Yuna manage that? How did he even get to _Requiem_ without anyone noticing him?"

"Yes, that's one of two things we can't explain" Yzak pulled back from the map and pulled a few papers toward him "we can't find any evidence of Yuna Roma even approaching _Requiem_"

"Wait, one of two things we can't explain?" Kira asked, "what are you talking about? You haven't mentioned anything to me"

"That's because you won't like it"

"Lacus has been kidnapped, I don't like the entire situation. If there's something I need to know then tell me"

Yzak paused for a moment and glanced at Dearka; then he caught the expression on Kira's face and realised he had no choice "Athrun was present when Lacus Clyne was kidnapped"

"Yes" the Captain nodded "he was there because he received a note from me, except I never sent it"

"Exactly, and we never found out who really sent it"

"Maybe Rey sent it, he hasn't admitted to it but it must have been him who kidnapped Lacus"

"But why summon Athrun? What's the point? To get him involved in the investigation?"

"Yuna wants revenge" Dearka reasoned "Athrun's pretty high on his hit list"

"_No_" Yzak shook his head "Yuna Roma wants revenge on _Alex Dino_, not Athrun. The letter was addressed to Athrun and Yuna Roma has no idea those two are the same person"

"But Rey does, he served under Athrun after all"

"Rey Za Burrel has no memory of being on the _Minerva_, he doesn't remember any of his friends or his Commanders, there's no way he could remember that Athrun and Alex Dino are one"

There was silence.

"What are you saying?" asked Kira quietly "do you think Rey has more to do with this, that he remembers who Alex Dino really is"

"Yes, I think Rey Za Burrel knows more than he's letting on, it's the only explanation that makes sense"

"Alright, so maybe it's really him who's pulling the strings" Dearka suggested "that makes more sense that Yuna Roma"

"But I saw him" Kira insisted, "when he was on _Requiem_ he was ready to die. The only thing he wanted to do was stay with Durandal and Captain Gladys"

"And nothing would persuade him to leave?" Yzak questioned "nothing at all?"

"Not unless Durandal survived"

"He got shot and blown up, I don't think even he could survive that" Dearka pointed out "unless he's immortal"

"Or he had a back up plan" Yzak said softly, more to himself than anyone else.

"Kira"

The Captain turned and found Athrun appearing on to the bridge; things were strained between them no matter how he tried to deny it. Cagalli was right; what they needed to do was talk, like they'd done all their lives. But there never seemed to be time; there was always something else getting in the way. Lacus was always constant in Kira's mind; she would be until she was safe by his side. And Athrun…

His expression was on lockdown.

Suddenly the barrier in Kira's heart broke. Athrun had been his friend for so long; they needed to talk, but Cagalli had been right. Kira needed to wait for Athrun to feel ready to open up. So for now, he went to Athrun "do you remember the letter you received on the day Lacus was kidnapped?"

Athrun looked taken aback; this obviously wasn't what he'd been expected "yes, of course. It was from you, asking me to visit you"

"And it was addressed to Athrun, not Alex Dino"

"Yes. Why are you asking?" Athrun looked at them all "is it a clue?"

"It could be" Yzak replied "if Rey Za Burrel was the one who sent it to you then it means he remembers that you and Alex Dino are the same person. I'm surprised you missed that"

Athrun thought about this; he was sure Yzak's last comment was a dig at him, or some sort of proclamation of bettering Athrun. Yzak was still determined to beat the Orb Admiral. However he ignored this, and focussed on the point being made.

"That means Rey is lying to us, he remembers who he is"

"Yes it does" Yzak leant against his table "what do you think of that?"

"I think it's probably quite difficult for him, especially considering Shinn. Those two were close on the _Minerva_"

"And?"

"And what?"

"Is that all you've got to say? He must be finding it difficult lying to a _friend_?"

"I haven't interviewed Rey yet, I can't make any judgement until I have"

"Well get on with it then!" Yzak answered a little snappishly "I'm sure you can fit it in to your busy schedule somewhere"

"I will of course attend to it as soon as possible" replied Athrun "I realise it's important"

Almost out of habit Dearka stepped in between the pair with a pointed look at Yzak; Kira on the other hand looked to his friend "actually I was hoping you would escort us in to Orb. We think we know where Yuna is hiding"

"A location you would know if you'd bothered to interrogate Rey Za Burrel yet" Yzak commented.

"Yzak" Dearka warned.

Athrun sighed heavily "Kira, I'm sorry. I'll have to contact the _Archangel_, Commander La Flaga will have to escort you"

Yzak's eyes narrowed "_why_?" he demanded.

"Official Orb business" Athrun answered, "something's happened that I can't ignore"

"And what about the kidnap of Lacus Clyne?" asked Yzak coldly "or shall we just sit here twiddling our thumbs until you're ready to return to this unimportant situation?"

"I will contact the _Archangel_," said Athrun firmly "they can escort you to wherever you need"

"Yes, but you are supposedly our Orb representative, why don't you stay on your job and have them deal with whatever this secret crisis of yours is? Unless this is just an excuse for you to disappear again"

Athrun glared "nothing is more important that the return of Lacus, but I have other duties I need attend to that can't be dealt with by anyone else. It's an Orb matter, and, as you keep reminding me, the rescue of Lacus is a Zaft matter"

Yzak's expression went cold "you're right" he said emotionlessly "I'm sorry we bothered you with our little problem"

"_Yzak_" Dearka repeated harder "stop it, both of you"

"Stop talking to me like I don't care about what happens to Lacus!" Athrun snapped.

"Then take a little more interest to the situation around you, Athrun!" Yzak snarled "you were given orders to stay with this ship until Lacus had been rescued, or had you forgotten that?"

Soldiers working at their stations were looking up with interest as their Commander's voice lifted in volume. Yzak wasn't bothering to hide his anger anymore; everyone was aware of the growing friction between the commanding officers and the Orb Admiral. They'd all focussed on Kira and how he must be feeling; no one had bothered to acknowledge what Yzak was feeling and now he wasn't bothering to hide it anymore.

It annoyed him that Athrun had seemed distracted as of late. It had been frustrating that Athrun hadn't done some of the most obvious tasks, like interrogating Rey Za Burrel on the behalf of Orb. More than that it bothered the Commander; this was Athrun Zala after all. Athrun had been the one who been promoted before Yzak; he'd always had the higher score, the better grade. He'd been the one Yzak had sworn to better.

Now he was different; he wasn't the same Athrun Yzak knew.

But Yzak's underlying problem with his former comrade ran farther back than Athrun's distraction; it was deeper than even Dearka realised. Because it pissed Yzak off that Athrun was a part of Orb at all. It pissed him off because Athrun was right; Athrun was a part of Orb, and Lacus's kidnap was Zaft business.

Something about that left Yzak feeling resentful. Deep down he felt that Athrun had turned his back on Zaft; he'd betrayed them twice after all, and now it felt like he was running out them again. But Yzak had been sure that wouldn't happen a third time because Kira was now a part of Zaft; the Commander had been sure Athrun wouldn't leave the Captain's side.

Seemingly he was wrong.

Something of his inner feelings must have crossed his face because Athrun's expression softened a little "I'm sorry" the Admiral said "this business I have in Orb isn't unrelated to Yuna Roma, but it's directly to do with Orb and being an Admiral of the country means I have to protect it. Lacus isn't the only one in danger"

"Of course she is" Yzak answered still in a hard voice "by now everyone on _Requiem_ has been arrested, they're being questioned and imprisoned so Yuna Roma can't use them anymore"

"Yes…" Athrun agreed. He hesitated and then threw caution in to the wind "Kuzzey stole vital weaponry information from the Orb base" the Admiral became painfully aware of the expression appearing on Kira's face "his hatred for Coordinators has driven him to go in search of Yuna. If those two meet Kuzzey will give him the power to hold the whole of Orb as ransom"

"Kuzzey wouldn't do that" Kira replied, "he's hurt, and angry at what has happened to him, but he'd never want to destroy an entire country"

"I don't know what's running through his mind" Athrun answered almost gently "but, Kira, I can't take the risk. I have to find him, as quickly as possible" he looked back at Yzak "I have to protect my country, I'm an Admiral after all"

Yzak said nothing. His anger had been abated but there's no way he would admit it. He knew fine well he would have taken the same actions as Athrun if it had been the Plants in the same danger.

"At least you've found a place you'd protect with your life" the Commander answered grudgingly.

Taking this as Yzak's acceptance of the situation Athrun relaxed; the broken bond between Kira and he was all he could take "as soon as the situation has been resolved I'll return"

"What are you planning to do?" asked Kira.

Athrun hesitated before he replied; he knew his friendship with Kira was breaking, but this wasn't anything to do with that. Now Athrun had to remember who he was; he couldn't think about Kira, or Shinn.

After all, if anything ever happened to Orb he'd never forgive himself.

* * *

><p>And there you go, I hope it makes up for the long wait. Please leave a review! I hope there's at least somebody out there still enjoying this story.<p>

The next four chapters are planned, and I have no idea how long this story is going to be. The huge twist in the story is close to appearing, depending on how long it takes me to write it up. What I really need is some uninterupted time...which isn't going to happen in my family.

Anyway, thanks for reading!

Kiki

Kizzes!


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